Switch
by Pernshinigami
Summary: Aizen uses kidou to change Ichigo, Hitsugaya, Byakuya, Rukia, Shunsui and Izuru into the opposite gender. Can an antidote be found? Will Ichigo find the guy of his dreams? Will Rukia adapt to being a man? FIND OUT! Yaoi/yuri genderswitch
1. Chapter 1

Notes: Heartsbond fans never fear. I'm still working on it. Buuuuuut, I had this fic sitting in my storage for so long I couldn't just leave it there!

* * *

Spring in the 10th Division usually sent anyone without breasts who lived within its walls running for cover. /ANY/ excuse to get away. Because the first day of April, every year, Rangiku Matsumoto would happily blast whatever loud, bawdy and rowdy music she had been able to find in the living world over the last year, roust the other female members of the division out of bed, and place the boombox right next to the ear of one Hitsugaya Toushiro, then use the remote control to activate it at top volume.

"AAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII MATSUMOTOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!" Poor Hitsugaya shrilled in shock as "Dirty" by Christina Aguilera made him shoot straight up in bed.

Rangiku whispered. "You're right Rukia, this music /is/ fun."

"Actually, for some reason its dropped out of style in the living world." Rukia frowned. "Christina and Brittany spears. The humans don't like them anymore for some reason."

"But I /like/ it!" Rangiku giggled. "Taiiiiichooouuu…… oh dear, how did that get there, and so loud too." Rangiku said innocently.

Hitsugaya's eyes were still squinted shut. "Matsumoto……"

"Aaaaaw but Taichou, you know the tradition. Every division holds a building wide clean up the first day of April."

That /is/ hard to forget, especially considering that some of the things that the twelfth division, not too far from them ended up throwing out had once been preserved in Formaldehyde and reeked of rotting flesh, and that most of the things cleaned out from the nearby eleventh division's barracks smelled like a brewery.

Hitsugaya instead made his way to the night hearth, a central point where shinigami coming in late from patrols in the living world could get tea, water, and usually some kind of soup or noodles. Sushi was sometimes laid out too, covered up with a glass bowl, or onigiri.

Grabbing a handful of onigiri Hitsugaya then realized he was in his nightclothes, and still trailing one of the light blankets that he layered when spring came. "Matsumoto. What time is it?"

"9:30."

"I'm usually awake four hours prior to this, why didn't you wake me up before now?" Hitsugaya demanded.

"Well…."

"I don't think I want to know."

"Taichou, you're always working too hard. You need to stop and rest now and again. I even held off starting the clean up. Now…. You head out now taichou. I hear that Kira fukutaisho's convinced some of the male captains and vice captains to go on a picnic. They've even convinced Kurosaki-kun and his friends to come."

"I'm coming too. Kiyone said not to worry about helping out at the thirteenth, since I don't get to see Ichigo too often I should go along for the ride." Rukia added.

"Alright, fine." Hitsugaya growled. He went to dress and groom and get his hair /properly/ spikey. Then he made it to the door.

Izuru was leading a still weakened Momo. After awhile Aizen's illusions had worn off, and she'd been able to be reasoned with, but her health has suffered greatly and she still needed help to walk. Unohana had measured her for a cane and was having one made. But it looked like she wouldn't be able to go back to her duties for a long time.

"Toushiro!"

For once, Hitsugaya didn't mind being called by his first name, it was the first time Momo had left the Fourth Division since her injury. She was so pale, but leaning on Izuru her face was weakly lit with excitement.

Zaraki was healthy and hale. "Momo! Yer feeling better. Kira-fukutaichou, lemme take her. Yachiru wanted to stay behind and order the boys around. So my back has free space to carry a passenger."

Momo squeaked as Zaraki scooped her up and put her on his shoulder. "Thank you. I feel like such a bother making everyone worry."

"Nonsense, last time I heard fresh air was healthy. Yeh just have to work hard and get stronger." Zaraki said patiently. "Alotter the fellows in my division make that mistake, they get hurt and rush their recovery and end up weaker than they were before. You just focus on getting better and trust in Unohana taichou. You'll be right as rain."

The walk to the picnic grounds in the orchards above the Rukongai was beautiful, all the trees were in bloom and the grass was covered in big fragrant fluffs of pink, peach and white. The wild roses peeked bright white eyes out of the bushes, forsythia were bathed in golden yellow. It was like the whole world had woken up from the darkness of winter. Summer flowers like daisies and black-eyed-susans were opening or blooming. Ichigo joined them, with Sado, Uryu and Orihime in tow. A streak of black and purple in the other direction and Yoruichi sprung away with a grin and a "So long!" to go see Soi Fong.

"Hey guys!" Ichigo leapt into the trees next to the other Shinigami making their way to the picnic orchards. "So where is this place?"

Byakuya grunted. But Renji grinned. "It's an Orchard way back in the woods. It was a joint effort at a garden and fruit orchard between the Kuchiki's and the Shiba's a while ago, but when Kaien-fukutaicho bit the dust and the Shiba's fell from prominence the thing was left to the mercy of the woods!"

"And it didn't just grow, it ballooned!" Momo chorused from below where Zaraki was running along with her on his back. "Its so beautiful in springtime! I really wanted to go back and see it!"

"There it is!" Shuhei called from the front of the pack.

"You're going to like this place Ichigo! Its like somebody uprooted a few acres of Eden and fed it steroids and growth hormones!!" Renji had a boyish grin on his face. "YEEEEAAAAY!" He leapt out of the tree and landed with a roll in the bright carpet of blossoms.

Orihime let out a pleasant cry of surprise and jumped Rukia as she came to a stop. "ACK! Orihime-chan! Watch the breasts, please!" Rukia flushed deep red. She liked Orihime, she just didn't admit it. She didn't have the courage to tell her, but maybe someday soon…

"Sorry!" Orihime blushed. "Oh wow! Its so bright!"

That was one way of putting it. Cherries, plums, apples, and roses all lent their fragrances into the air.

Momo let out the first genuine laugh she'd uttered since the incident and flopped onto her stomach in the grass.

"WHERE'S THE FOOD??" Demanded Renji.

"Yeah yeah, keep your shirt on." Hitsugaya grunted.

"I'm sorry we're late!" Ukitake and Kyoraku made it at a fast walk. "You were going to leave us behind?"

"They didn't mean it." Shunsui grinned as he uncorked a giant bottle of sake and pulled out the picnic baskets. "Aaaaah, I'm almost glad that Nanao-chan bodily booted me out of the office. It's a wonderful day!"

_I can tell you're happy Ichigo, the sun is shining bright!_ Zangetsu said, though his tone was still stern Ichigo could sense he was enjoying the sunshine inside as much as he did the sunshine outside.

It had been pretty tough rescuing Orihime from Hueco Mundo. But she'd come out none the worse for wear. Rukia had started training for her bankai, but her current promotion had been enough for her. The brand new lieutenant's badge for the thirteenth sparkled on her shoulder in the sun. Orihime had squealed when she'd seen it on Rukia's shoulder for the first time.

"So how big is this place Toushiro?"

"Its Hitsugaya!"

"The Orchard is acres in size." Byakuya explained. "Its mostly overgrown, and the path winds between it." Byakuya looked over at the biggest tree, an enormous sakura that seemed to be snowing pink petals. Then without warning he turned and walked towards it, settling in its shade.

"Hisana planted that tree." Rukia whispered. "Niisama swears he can hear her if he sits under it sometimes."

"no kidding." Ichigo chuckled. "She must have put a lot of love into that tree." He flushed. "When my mom died, dad said that in places where somebody's put a lot of love and care, life flourishes."

"Isshin Kurosaki was a very accomplished Soul Reaper." Shunsui smiled. He put a hand on Ichigo's shoulder. "I was his mentor over a century ago."

"No kidding! So I got my powers from him?" Ichigo gawked, jaw dropping. "I always thought it was an accident."

"Yeah, but from what I hear, after Masaki died, he swore that his children wouldn't know the pain he did from fighting hollows. I was really surprised to hear you'd shown up in the Soul Society. When I heard Sado say who had lead him here, I almost couldn't believe my ears." Shunsui replied.

"I'll get stronger than he was."

"That'll be pretty hard," Shunsui laughed. "Isshin Kurosaki was the best of the best, and the biggest character. You know, one time on Valentines day he sent me and Joushiro each a gift, and labeled it as being from the other. That was his idea of a prank."

"And it worked, didn't it." Ukitake smirked, wrapping an arm around his koi.

"Indeed it did. At the time I wanted to be with you so bad, but I was worried that I might hurt you by mistake because you were ill."

"And he managed to bring us together. Even after all of that."

"That was the best Valentines Day ever." Shunsui agreed.

"Get a room you two." Muttered Renji with a low growl.

Ichigo blushed. "I was….. hoping I could speak with you two, /alone/." He muttered in a low voice.

"Yes, I got your message. Loud and clear. You need to learn that the volume you /speak/ a message to a hell butterfly in, is the volume the hell butterfly _delivers_ the message in." Ukitake teased.

Ichigo growled. "I said I was sorry."

"That's alright, it takes practice." Ukitake smiled and led Ichigo away.

He settled himself on the grass with the two men. "I…. I think I'm attracted to men…. I…… but I haven't even had a girlfriend, let alone a boyfriend…… and……"

Shunsui chuckled. "you know, I kinda guessed, the way you've been looking at some of the male shinigami lately."

"Huh? How?"

"Well…… for starters the way you keep trying to get Hitsugaya-taichou to smile. And the way you keep trying to get Kuchiki-taichou to look you in the eye, just once, and the way your eyes shine when you and Renji practice……" Ukitake chuckled. "I tell you what…… I'll give you a hint with Hitsugaya," He handed Ichigo a container.

Ichigo opened it. "Watermelon balls?"

"Yep, the little guy can't resist!" Ukitake chuckled. "And you know……" He whispered in Ichigo's ear. "He's a virgin too!"

"WTF?" Ichigo blushed furiously, spine tingling as he got a bodily shove towards the little white haired taichou.

"Think of it as practice flirting." Hissed Shunsui.

Ichigo plunked himself down next to Hitsugaya with the container of watermelon balls and a fork. He simply started eating. Screw flirting, he'd try this /his/ way!

Hitsugaya for the most part ignored him, until Ichigo noticed he was glancing sidelong at the container. "Want some?" Ichigo asked with his mouth full. It came out all wrong! He'd accidentally sprayed watermelon juice.

Renji snickered from a few feet away, deep in conversation with Uryu and Sado. Well, Sado was just sitting there and offering a word every now and again. But Uryu actually seemed interested. Some kind of discussion of "human sports" Renji wanted to know if the Red Socks' "green monster" was actually a monster and if the Yankees weren't soldiers why were they called "the Bronx bombers?"

"Did Ukitake taichou give you those?"

"Uh….. yeah, they're really good, want some?" Ichigo repeated, feeling a little awkward.

"He's tried that ploy before. He's been trying to get me a boyfriend and bed partner for a decade now, and he's not succeeding today. You can have them." He got up and walked away, nose in the air.

"Shot down." Shuhei snickered as he and Izuru flopped down next to him. "Now, if you drop by mine and Izuru's apartment some night, /we/ could show you a good time."

It was Ichigo's turn to fume, he got up and walked back over to Renji. "So what's up?" He asked, staring into his container of watermelon.

The perfect curls had started to melt from the heat of the day. Ichigo felt like wilting too. "Shot down by old icy." Renji snickered.

"You have no idea." Ichigo inched closer to Renji.

"Hitsugaya taichou is a total prude. Just like Ishida-kun. Speaking of which Ishida-kun, you're a heshe, why don't you show Kurosaki a good time." Renji suggested.

Ichigo blushed hugely. He was… mildly… attracted to Uryu, but all it was was physical. Renji? Renji was intoxicating to Ichigo. He loved the Lieutenant deeply.

"I wouldn't have sex with Ichigo if he was the last bipedal humanoid alive." Uryu said coldly. "Because like YOU, Abarai, he's an IDIOT!" Uryu snapped, he got up and walked over to join Orihime and Rukia.

Ichigo stung. "Actually Renji I'm more intere……." He was about to tell Renji 'i'm more interested in you.' But what Renji said next shut him up quickly.

"I'm more interested in women. Or effeminate men. And Ichi, you're way too young anyway. Enjoy being a gay virgin. Eventually you'll have to come to the Soul society and TRUST ME. I've seen my share of mindless orgy nights in the barracks. Of course, I wouldn't turn Kuchiki-taichou down. He needs a good fuck after Hisana. But he's…….. Ichigo?"

Ichigo ran to the sakura tree, sitting on the other side of it from Byakuya. He was on the edge of tears, one more embarrassing comment from someone he had a crush on and he'd start to cry.

Byakuya looked up at his approach. "Don't mind Renji Ichigo. He's insensitive and an idiot."

Ichigo didn't say very much. "Hitsu shot me down, Renji was mean, and I…… I guess if you had a wife you aren't interested in me at all."

"I'm not interested in /anyone/ Kurosaki. It hurts too much to think of having another after her. Though, you are pretty enough, if I were younger, I might have been mildly interested. Kurosaki, eventually magic will happen and you will find the right person. You simply need to be patient."

Ichigo wiped the tears out of his eyes. "I'm sorry. I….. shouldn't have bothered you. I'm going to go get some air." He got up and walked away from the clearing.

"Don't go far." Byakuya said absently.

Ichigo didn't go too far, but as soon as he was out of sight he headed for a nearby cave to just… hide, and cry. Suddenly, a light caught his eyes. "What the heck?" The blast of energy made Ichigo's head hurt, his body was itching, twisting, writhing in pain and pleasure. And then Ichigo saw nothing more.

Rukia got up a few minutes after he left, "Niisama. Where's Ichigo?"

"He went to get some air. Abarai said some things he found to be… painfull. He also was, I think the expression is 'shot down' when he tried to flirt with Hitsugaya-taichou."

"That's not good. Nii-sama wait here. OYE!!!!!!!! RENJI!" Rukia yelled. "Renji you brat! Get over here!"

"Huh? Rukia what is it?"

"You OWE Ichigo Kurosaki an apology!"

"About /what/?" Renji demanded. "What did I /say!?/"

"For being such an IDIOT!"

"What did I do that was idiotic?" Renji asked. "I just told him what I THOUGHT!"

"HE LOVES YOU DUMBASS!" Rukia smacked Renji upside the head. "When you said you'd rather fuck the feminine gender and the effeminate masculine form, he ran off somewhere to cry! GET your butt over here."

"Cry?" Izuru blinked. "Oh dear. Renji WHAT DID YOU /SAY/???"

"Nothing too horrible. I just said I go for women or effeminate men and that he's about as effeminate as Kenpachi." Renji replied. "Now Uryu, Uryu was the one who said 'I wouldn't sleep with you if you were the last bipedal humanoid on earth.'" Renji laughed. "And Hitsugaya-taichou was just brutal."

"HITSU YOU DIDN'T!" Momo shrilled. "I know he's a human but BE POLITE!" She flicked a watermelon ball at Hitsugaya, which stuck to his forehead before the white haired captain plucked it off.

"I was just being honest."

"WELL YOU'D BETTER GO RIGHT NOW AND APOLOGIZE! You can be the wits end!" Momo shrilled.

Shunsui sighed, standing. "Kuchiki-fukutaichou, Kuchiki-taichou, Abarai-fukutaichou, I think its best we go get Ichigo. He could get lost." Hitsugaya put down his meal and prepared to go as well.

"Of course." Byakuya stood.

"Go enjoy yourselves." Renji made crying motions with his hands. "oh Kyouraku-taichou! I'm so sorry I got lost. Renji was being a big meanie and Uryu was so cold. I had to find someplace to cry and work off my anger issues."

"THAT'S ENOUGH RENJI!" Izuru growled. "I'll go Kyouraku-taichou."

"Alright. It shouldn't take too long. Come on. I sense his spiritual pressure a mile or so off."

"Race you Rukia-chan." Izuru offered.

"After you Izuru-kun." Rukia got along with Izuru very well since her promotion. Aside from Renji he was the one male lieutenant she got along with the best.

The run was quick by Shunpo, and when they entered the cave Rukia saw the sprawled form on the ground. "Ichigo!" She cried, hurrying to the substitute. "ICHIGO!"

Kyouraku inspected the ground. "Kuchiki-taichou, the ground. This is a mark left by a Kidou yes?"

Byakuya bent down. "yes, it is. Someone attacked him."

"But who? I'm fairly certain Aizen couldn't…" said Hitsugaya with a frown.

"They did more than that!" Rukia pointed, turning Ichigo over. "Loook!"

"Huh? OH. MY. GOD." Shunsui about had a nose bleed. Ichigo had breasts, they weren't little ones either! Ichigo's chest was almost as buxom as Rangiku or Orihime's. And his normally slim hips had rounded slightly. "How on earth?"

Someone at the back of the cave started chanting. Then they heard. "Betrayel of Venus and Adonis!" Rukia and Izuru collapsed, and as the attack blasted Shunsui and Byakuya, the icy Kuchiki sent up the flare of Riatsu that meant 'DANGER! SOS!' "Abarai…. Fuku…… tai…. chou…….." He voice sounded alien, faint, lighter.

Ukitake rushed to the scene, along with the rest of those at the picnic. By then their attacker was gone. When he turned his lover's body over, Ukitake gasped. "No…. way….." Shunsui had breasts! His /koi/ his /male/ koi had breasts? What was going on?

"Dude, how did Ichigo get a rack?" Renji demanded. "His boobs are almost as big as Rangiku's! They're Orihime sized. Oooooh, that perverted pet modsoul of his is going to have a field day!"

Shuhei was amused, inspecting his boyfriend's changed body. "The biggest womanizer in the Seireitei becomes a woman, interesting." His eyes sparkled at Shunsui's changed condition.

"Dude, this is like something out of a human soap." Renji exclaimed.

"Orihime-chan, can you reverse…. Whatever was done?" Uryu asked, as Orihime pulled Rukia close to her, tears pouring down her cheeks. Rukia was a /man?/ It wasn't fair! Orihime liked her as a girl better!

Orihime shook her head. "Not without knowing what did this."

"The scorchmarks are from a kidou."

"Ukitake…. Taichou….." Ichigo stirred, exhausted.

"Ichigo, rest. You were attacked. We'll get you back to Unohana immediately."

"Thanks…." Ichigo said drowsily. He fell asleep again. Shuhei was on the phone with fourth, telling them he had an emergency.

"Unohana says she's on her way. Along with emergency staff. Thank Kami her bankai is a living ambulance." Shuhei cradled Izuru in his arms, "Its okay Izuru. You're gonna be okay."

"There's no doubt that Aizen is responsible somehow." Kenpachi growled. "Robbin men of their manhoods. 'Im an dat Gin are perverts both."

"Maybe he and Gin wanted to have babies." Momo blushed. "I mean… Gin is sadistic but he's very feminine. And if you're going to test a medical kidou that changes genders you'd want to test it on someone who didn't matter to you first. Just in case it went wrong. And they were /both/ shinigami, they would know where we're headed for the April 1st picnic." She blushed. "Poor Shiro…" Momo sobbed, clinging to her brother/sister and crying.

"Easy Momo-chan." Shuhei said gently.

"Shuhei-sempai?"

"Hitsugaya-taichou is very… possessive, of you. For you to cry over him, would make him most upset. Comfort him, care for him. But above all he doesn't want to see you cry."

Ukitake was looking down at his longtime on and off lover. "This has to be the biggest irony in the history of the soul society."

* * *

"I think Momo's perception of the attack is accurate." Unohana said calmly. "To have three captains, two lieutenants and a guest caught in this is most serious. All of them have been transformed into the opposite gender. And from what I can sense of their energy fields, they are also fertile."

Yamamoto sighed. The remaining captains and lieutenants had gathered to report. "Kurotsuchi-taichou?"

"I need to… research… how this may have happened, if I am to come up with a cure. I do rule the research field of body alterations. It shouldn't be too hard. Though sir, I'd like to bring Urahara in to consult."

"What do we do?" Unohana asked the Commander General.

"Set aside a place for Ichigo and the others affected to rest, recouperate, and get… used… to their change in circumstances. Send Soi Fong to retrieve Urahara, Yoruichi, Tessai and Isshin. Explain to Isshin what has happened to his boy and that he's needed urgently."

"Yes sir!"

"The rest of you are… dismissed."

* * *

Ichigo groaned, slowly sitting up. His body felt… different. It felt… wrong. Ichigo patted himself over, and about midway down his chest he reached… breasts? Ichigo's mind ground to a halt, as he remembered that flash of blazing white and pink light. Ichigo started patting himself over. When he reached his crotch he found… "OH. MY. GOD." Ichigo realized he had a woman's sex organs. He started screaming. And screaming. And screaming.

A pillow hit him in the side of the face at the same time someone entered the room and threw arms around him. Ichigo shoved. "Ichigo its me! Its me Orihime!" Ichigo was going a little crazy, pushing at the other girl. "Its alright its me Ichigo." Ichigo settled down. But he was still breathing hard and his heart was pounding.

"Orihime, what the hell happened??" Ichigo demanded.

"Aizen used some kind of Kidou, changed you into the other gender." Orihime looked nervously across the room.

A woman with long black hair and deep blue eyes sat there glaring at them both. Orihime blushed, and giggled. Ichigo's jaw dropped. "Byakuya?"

"That's…" Her voice broke for a moment. "That's Kuchiki-taichou to you. This is all your fault. If we hadn't gone looking for you to salve your ego, Aizen wouldn't have hit us with the kidou."

"Who else?" Ichigo paled.

"Rukia, Kyouraku, Hitsugaya, Kuchiki-taichou." Orihime looked nervously over at Byakuya. "And Izuru."

"Dayum." Ichigo shook his head. "That's not right. I mean, Kyouraku as a girl? That's a total and complete irony the way he chases women."

"Yeah, he's the only one who's amused by the situation. I passed his room, he was cracking jokes to Ukitake. And laughing."

"Glad someone is amused by the situation." Ichigo sighed. Orihime chuckled. Suddenly a scream went up from the next room. "RUKIA!" Orihime wailed, standing and hurrying off to see to the Kuchiki girl.

"Are you alright Kurosaki?" Byakuya asked sullenly. Ichigo looked up, and he saw tears rolling down Byakuya's cheeks.

Ichigo closed his eyes, trying to keep from crying too. "My body just feels… wrong." Ichigo growled. He got up and walked over to Byakuya, sitting next to him.

"I feel… the same." Byakuya said quietly. He hesitated a moment, before looping an arm cautiously around Ichigo's shoulder. Ichigo blushed, leaning against Byakuya quietly. "Its… disgraceful."

"I wouldn't go that far but I do have a sense of feeling…. Robbed…. This is probably what a… a heshe feels like. Trapped." Ichigo realized he was shaking. Byakuya pulled Ichigo into his arms, sobbing softly.

"what the hell are we going to do?" Ichigo asked after awhile.

"Dunno." Byakuya growled. "Unohana and Kurotsuchi are trying to figure this out."

"I'll bet they are… I'm going nuts… I can feel Zangetsu getting restless."

"Senbonzakura is sympathetic, but she thinks its amusing." Byakuya growled.

Byakuya hesitated, but then leaned in to kiss Ichigo gently. "It will be alright." Byakuya said softly.

Ichigo responded to the kiss, gasping in pleasure. The total confidence in Byakuya's voice calmed him. But at the same time Ichigo was a little sad. Byakuya had made it clear, that he could give Ichigo physical pleasure, but never emotional involvement. Even if Byakuya was comforting him now, Ichigo would never hear an "I love you" from Byakuya Kuchiki if he decided to get together with the quiet, intense captain.

_But king? Can I just say… WHO THE HELL NEEDS 'I LOVE YOU?' _Demanded Ogichi._ If you need to fuck, then goddamnit! FUCK HIM. _

_I'm surprised you aren't calling me 'queen' right now. _

_Because even if you are physically a queen Ichigo. Do you /feel/ like a queen? _

_I don't understand…_

_Its simple. You are a spirit. /i/ am a spirit. Your spirit is male. Its that very disharmony that is causing you such anguish. As long as your spirit, your mind, your heart is male, even if your body is not, you will be /KING./ _Ogichi growled, his tone fervent.

_Thank you Ogichi. _

_For what? I'm just sounding off my mouth. Since when do you thank me for anything? _

Ichigo smiled, "Thank you Byakuya."


	2. Chapter 2

Ichigo smiled, "Thank you Byakuya."

Byakuya looked down at Ichigo, "You're welcome Ichigo. Though for what I'm not sure." He blinked in surprise as Ichigo clung to him. The boy was trembling, mainly out of fear. But he realized that his presence was comforting to the young deputy.

Ichigo was crying, something that he'd never seen the young substitute do. "you're going to be alright." Byakuya said gently. "If you want to lie here for awhile, I understand."

Ichigo looked up at Byakuya. He was so gentle, so loving. At the back of his mind, Ogichi's obvious sexual interest in the icy captain was affecting his own body. His lower regions started to heat and become sensitive. Ichigo blushed hugely.

Senbonzakura started poking at Byakuya's mind. **You should kiss him, romance him, at least /try/ to seduce him. **

**But Hisana… **

**Would want you to be happy. We've had this conversation, remember? **Senbonzakura asked. Byakuya could feel the spirit giving him a gentle push. **That's not entirely fear he's trembling from. **

Byakuya said quietly to Ichigo. "Senbonzakura thinks I should pursue you… romantically." He said awkwardly. "I'm not sure…" Byakuya said quietly, "What do you want?" He stroked Ichigo's hair, which had grown a little bit, down to about his shoulders. "You're beautiful, both male and female."

Trembling in fear, and lust at once. Ichigo panted. "I dunno what I want. You were always beautiful. But you were always mister icicle, even more so than Toushiro. I didn't think I had a chance, and you were always mourning Hisana. I didn't want to be disrespectful." He looked up at Byakuya, and the captain saw his sienna eyes were darkened with lust. His own lust was becoming difficult to control. He wanted to ravage the young shinigami then and there.

"I want…" Byakuya couldn't bring his mouth to form the words, he just pulled Ichigo into a blistering kiss, his hands slowly settling on the other's hips.

Ichigo responded immediately, his lower regions were slowly turning into a wet, burning, swollen, mess. And his stomach did several butterfly swoops around his ribcage. He started touching Byakuya's breasts. They panted as their lips parted. "fuck… my whole body is… burning for you." Ichigo panted. "Touch me… some more…"

Byakuya chuckled, carefully pushing Ichigo back on his pallet, pulling the blankets over his shoulders he took Ichigo's breasts in his hands and started to rub. Ichigo moaned, and Byakuya replaced one of his hands with his mouth, sucking on his breast, and the deputy was loving every minute of it.

Byakuya was moving quickly yes, normally, if he were male he would have taken his time. But Ichigo had had quite enough hurt for the day. He'd have to give Renji more lessons in etiquette. He'd seriously hurt the deputy. Byakuya wanted to make the hurt go away, and the aching between his legs, the female equivalent to an erection, was driving him mad. And he was far more experienced in lovemaking than the deputy. He suspected Ichigo was feeling the same push. The same hormones.

Ichigo's cheeks turned scarlet, as Byakuya began to kiss his way down Ichigo's stomach, the deputy had an idea what the captain was going to do. He spread his legs, bending at the knee to give the captain better access.

And then the Kuchiki captain's tongue touched Ichigo's entry. And he screamed Byakuya's name in pleasure. Byakuya slid his tongue between his folds, spreading them gently with his fingers and dipping his tongue in the entry, sipping from the edge before lapping at his clit.

"SHIT!" Ichigo bucked, Byakuya's fingers traced his hole, before sucking the inner labia and clit into his mouth. He hadn't even penetrated, and Ichigo was rapidly spiraling towards orgasm.

Byakuya lapped at Ichigo's clit, knowing that the new organ was much more sensitive than a man's penis. Ichigo screamed Byakuya's name, cusswords spilling out of his lips as he came. A rush of fluids boiled up from inside him and Ichigo groaned. Byakuya chuckled, licking his lips. He worked his way back up, kissing Ichigo so that he could taste his essence on his lips.

Ichigo felt Byakuya's fingers still playing with his pussy. He wrapped an arm around Byakuya before reaching up to timidly stroke at his entry in return. The kiss turned hot, heavy, slow, tongues twining as Ichigo experienced pleasure powerful for the first time.

"Niisama what's all the noise a…" An alto tenor voice mumbled. "OH FUCK!" Byakuya startled, though Ichigo's eyes were still hazed in lust. He blinked, struggling to turn his head around.

A familiar figure with long black hair was standing in the doorway, face slowly turning tomato red. Rukia! But there was something different about her. Her body was sharper, squarer, and her chest had gone flat. She was wearing a very thin white yukata often given to invalids in the seireitei, and as blood slowly started to drip from her nose and her face started to twitch, Ichigo realized he could make out a telltale bulge in the crotch of her yukata. The same type of yukata that Byakuya had opened on Ichigo's body and removed on his own.

Then Rukia was running from the room at top shunpo.

"oh fuck." Ichigo groaned.

"Let her go. I'll talk to her later." Byakuya husked.

Ichigo chuckled, "my turn to do you." Byakuya laughed, his now alto voice thick with lust.

"I can't explain it, its like since I changed my hormones have been screaming sex, sex, sex." Byakuya grumbled.

Ichigo landed in a heap on top of Byakuya, then clumsily leaned down to kiss the Kuchiki captain on the lips before slowly working his way down Byakuya's neck. It seemed strange to do at first, but Ichigo latched his lips onto one of the 6th captain's breasts. Byakuya groaned, wriggling beneath him. Encouraged Ichigo moved to the other breast, his hands slowly running along the other's figure.

Panting, Byakuya wrapped his arms around Ichigo's shoulders, and Ichigo moved lower, licking along his stomach before leaning in to lick hesitantly at Byakuya's sex. The high pitched squeak that Byakuya let out gave Ichigo a little more confidence. Using his fingers he spread the other's entrance and began to lick deeper. Byakuya groaned, hands grabbing Ichigo's hair and pushing him deeper.

Ichigo worked his way further up, it didn't taste as horrible as he thought it would. He wondered what Byakuya would taste like when he was back in his own body.

Then he found Byakuya's clit, and focused his energies on it. "FUCK!" Byakuya cursed, shoving on Ichigo's head.

Ichigo snickered. So he could make Kuchiki swear hmm? Ichigo focused his energies on that little nub, lapping at it slowly. He rested his arms on Byakuya's stomach, keeping him from bucking beneath him.

"I… ichigo…" Byakuya groaned, panting.

Ichigo grinned stupidly, working lower again he slipped his tongue in as far as he could and licked up the inside of Byakuya's entrance. Byakuya screamed his name, and whatever Ichigo had hit sent him tumbling over the edge.

Ichigo pulled up a little, looking down at Byakuya. He wanted more. Ichigo desperately wanted more. And as much as Byakuya eating him out had turned him on, some instinct deep down in his head wanted to have sex with something that had a penis.

"Daaaayuuum." A voice came from the doorway. "now that's what I call a show."

Ichigo whirled. Renji was standing there, and Ichigo realized he was buck nekkid in front of Renji. And so was Byakuya. And both of them were girls.

Then he saw the tent in Renji's pants. "I thought you only went for women and effeminate men."

"Hello Ichi, you're the one with Orihime sized melons on your chest." Renji sniggered. His face was slowly turning scarlet. "But if you can suck me the way you just did Taichou, I might reconsider my standards." He licked his lips.

Selfishness warred with practicality. On the one hand, having both Renji /and/ Byakuya was a major victory. On the other, Renji might decide he didn't want Ichigo when he changed back. Byakuya might want him, but Renji was doubtful.

Ichigo looked over at Byakuya. "What do you think, should we let him?"

Byakuya smiled bitterly. "Unfortunately, this transformation seems to come with a substantial amount of lust, for something far thicker than fingers or tongue."

Ichigo frowned. "For some reason I keep getting the same impression. Byakuya-koi, you are incredibly hot. But I want something more substantial than a woman can provide."

"Substantial?" Renji sniggered. "Well." He closed the door and locked it. "I can show you mine, and you can decide for yourself if its substantial."

Byakuya glared at Renji. "If I were in my male form, we could measure. You aren't the only one with /substantial/ masculine assets." He sneered.

Renji smirked, opening his kimono and slipping off his hakama and obi. Ichigo gawked. Renji's erection was easily a foot long, and with a three inch girth to match. Renji smirked at Ichigo's expression, the strawberry couldn't take his eyes off Renji's erection.

"I call him first." Ichigo blurted out, face turning beet red.

Byakuya glanced sidelong at the younger shinigami. "Fine." He growled. "Though, if you don't mind my hands still on you." Byakuya wrapped his arms around Ichigo's waist. **I swear when I get my manhood back I'm going to /show/ him just how 'satisfying' I can be. **

**I thought you didn't want anyone? **Senbonzakura teased.

**I might make an exception to show him who the better love maker is. **

Renji took Ichigo's pallet and shoved it up against Byakuya's, then carefully turned them around. Ichigo found himself propped up in Byakuya's arms, up against his chest. Renji knelt between Ichigo and Byakuya's bent legs, and he reached down to kiss Ichigo as he settled himself. Ichigo felt Renji press the head of his dick right in the opening. "Ready?"

Ichigo felt his entry throb, his breath become heavy. "Hell yeah." He looped his arms loosely around Renji's shoulders. He felt Byakuya's hands tighten on his hips. Renji slowly started to move, drawing out penetration.

He felt Renji's thickness press against, and then tear, the hymen, causing the orange haired shinigami to hiss. Ichigo's breath came in pants. But the pain was soothed somewhat when Byakuya began to kiss at his neck, licking at an erogenous zone to distract him from the pain.

Ichigo felt his passage stretching in an effort to take the length and thickness of Renji's dick inside him. And when Renji was seated completely inside, Ichigo felt the other's length pressed up against his cervix, filling every inch, every nook, every fold in his passage.

Ichigo hauled Renji down to kiss him, with Byakuya licking his way up his neck. Renji searched Ichigo's face for any sign of distress, instead the chocolate orbs had darkened in lust. Byakuya's hands were sliding over Ichigo's breasts, pleasuring the tanned mounds of flesh. Well, that was fine with Renji. Byakuya would get his turn when he was finished with Ichigo.

And the look on Ichigo's face as their eyes met was a complete turn on.

Ichigo's eyes slowly fluttered closed, as he savored every sensation. Renji's erection was hot, thick, and slick with precum. And the sensation was at once one of being stretched and being filled. Ichigo flexed his legs slightly, before wrapping them around Renji's hips.

And Renji took this as the signal to go, pulling out slightly, then thrusting back in. Ichigo squealed, arms tightening around Renji's shoulders. Byakuya's fingers were working their way along his breasts, and the duel stimulation made Ichigo melt into the arms of both his lovers.

In, out, in, out. As the stinging of his body stretching faded and was replaced with the friction of Renji's dick against his passage and the pounding to his cervix Ichigo began to return the other's thrusts. Ichigo panted, a sheen of sweat forming on his skin.

Renji panted, gasping with each thrust. He was trying to keep a steady pace, but Ichigo's body was tight enough, hot enough, slick enough, that Renji was sorely tempted to pound Ichigo as hard as he could manage. His body slickened with sweat. Then Ichigo started rubbing his breasts against Renji's chest and screaming his name with every thrust. And Renji decided right then and there that Ichigo could be an exception to his standards.

Renji's hair swept over Ichigo and Byakuya and his lips met Ichigo's. Ichigo felt… secure… and the pleasure was incredible. His body felt, open, receptive, and the pleasure was mindblowing. His soul trembled in pleasure, need, lust, and yet he felt peaceful, serene. This was what Ichigo had /wanted./ Well not the woman part, but the sex with Renji part.

And then he screamed, body writhing around Renji's length. Ichigo's nails dug into Renji's back, and he felt Renji thrust in one last time, shoving as far into his body as his abused passage would allow before he to came. Ichigo felt Renji's seed burning into his body, once, twice, Renji's fluids burned into him four times before he was finally sated, lying limp against Ichigo's chest for a few moments.

Renji pulled out with a soft 'pop' noise, "Now Ichigo, I'm going to need you to get me worked up again so I can do Byakuya." He chuckled. "Lie flat, and Byakuya you massage my back."

"What are you gonna…" Ichigo stammered, lying flat as Byakuya shifted places.

"I did say I'd consider making you an exception if you sucked me as well as you ate Byakuya out."

Ichigo's face burned. And Byakuya rolled his eyes. "You need to learn finesse when lovemaking." Byakuya hissed in Renji's ear.

"This isn't lovemaking, its rutting /Taichou./" Renji hissed back.

"And which do you think the boy would rather have?" Byakuya scolded.

Ichigo wasn't sure at the moment /which/ he would rather have. Byakuya started massaging Renji's back, pressing his breasts against his shoulders and kissing and sucking at his neck as he had Ichigo. "oooooooh…" Renji groaned. "That… right there…" He turned back to Ichigo. "Okay, its really simple. I straddle you like this, so that my dick is near your mouth. You reach up and suck on it until its hard enough to have sex."

Renji carefully moved within Ichigo's grasp. Ichigo hesitated briefly, but then he reached up and took Renji's dick in his hands and guided the tip to his mouth. Renji groaned, melting back into Byakuya's hands as Ichigo took him in carefully, an inch at a time.

Right away Ichigo realized he wasn't going to be able to fit all of it in his mouth. He sucked on the tip, carefully drawing as much as he could manage into his mouth. He started to suck, bringing his tongue into it. He carefully pulled the member out, shifting position so that he was licking along the bottom.

Renji groaned, and Ichigo took his balls in his hands, carefully massaging the sacks. He took it back in his mouth, swirling the head in his lips.

Renji struggled with the impulse to buck, and Byakuya grabbed him by the hip just as he lost to the impulse, keeping his Fukutaichou from uncomfortably choking Ichigo. Ichigo sucked harder, hollowing his cheeks. Renji groaned, his erection starting to ache. "Okay… Ichi that's…"

Ichigo let go, Renji's dopey grin told him that he'd snared the red head. Even if Ichigo went back to his normal form, Renji would be willing to sleep with him again. Ichigo gently pulled Byakuya into his arms, kissing his way up the Kuchiki's neck.

Byakuya felt Ichigo trying to emulate his own movements, cupping his breasts and massaging the mounds hesitantly. Byakuya leaned back in the deputy's arms, utterly relaxed as Renji pressed into his entry.

Byakuya was no stranger to sex, having been interested in both men and women in his youth. He knew many things about lovemaking and its affects on the mind and body. He braced himself, and Renji shoved in, breaking the hymen in one swift, but careful motion. Byakuya hissed, forcing his lower body to relax.

Byakuya's passage was not as wide as Ichigo's. His vagina had further to stretch. The captain was used to being on top, but he had learned to read the movements of his lovers well. And when Renji came to a stop pressed against his cervix, Byakuya felt something that sent a jolt of fear into his heart.

The same sense of receptiveness, of need, of peace that Ichigo had displayed was all too familiar to Byakuya. It was the feeling one got when their body was able to be impregnated.

Several things went through Byakuya's mind right then. Foremost that he didn't care. Even in this receptive state he wanted Renji, and he wanted him to cum inside him until Renji himself was exhausted and his belly was bulging. Byakuya did not think he could keep his lust in check at this point.

He knew he was going to get pregnant from this, and he didn't care. That both irritated and scared him.

This would be upsetting later, but as Renji started to thrust into him, Byakuya ceased to care. He arched his hips to the other's thrusts, rolling against his body. Byakuya met Renji's rhythm fervently. But he realized that what he wanted right then was to be the one thrusting into Ichigo. He wanted Ichigo writhing beneath him. He wanted to be the one that made Ichigo feel that peace and receptiveness and warmth.

Byakuya did not make the same kind of noises Ichigo did, when Renji's name spilled from his lips, it was soft, panted, gasped, sighed. His body shook in Ichigo's arms with every thrust, the silent abandon just made Renji even more turned on and made Ichigo's grip on him tighten both out of lust and out of affection.

Renji leaned in to kiss him, dipping his tongue in Byakuya's mouth, tasting the heated cavern of his mouth and sweeping away any cries of his name from his lips.

And then Byakuya came, his body arching elegantly, head tipping back to rest on Ichigo's shoulder. Renji thrust in one last time, his orgasm exploding into Byakuya's body, spilling into him in the same searing, intense, multi spurt release that he had into Ichigo.

Byakuya collapsed into Ichigo's arms, panting, his body covered in sweat. Ichigo all but pounced Renji as he pulled out. "I want more."

Renji looked over at Byakuya. "I've had my… share for… quite awhile." He wrapped his arms around Ichigo's waist. "but I want to do more later. Just the two of us. Abarai-fukutaichou has much to learn about the difference between sex and love making, and the difference between /good/ sex and /hot/ sex." He said coolly.

Renji snorted, chuckling. "Oh really. You're going to have to teach /me/ the difference too Taichou. Do you know how much I wanted you? Or for how long?"

Byakuya glared at Renji. "I was fully aware. But if you like, when my body is back to normal, I /can/ show you the difference. Unless of course you don't mind my using a strap on."

Renji whistled. "now that… is hot…" He smirked, watching as Ichigo curled up in Byakuya's arms as he had before.

But this time, Ichigo turned to Renji. "You can still fit inside me from behind can you? I didn't get to kiss Byakuya the last time."

Renji rolled his eyes. "Anything you want Ichigo."

Byakuya chuckled. "That might be easier." He was glad that Ichigo wanted to make this a true three way and even gladder that even though it was Renji who was inside of him, Ichigo's interest was in Byakuya.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Hueco Mundo, Aizen was preparing another two tests of his new Kidou. After the failed battle in the fake Karakura, Aizen had had to rebuild his Espada. Most of the former ten had died in the battle. But Grimmjow was still alive, Ulquiorra had been thought to be dead, but his body had reformed in the Menos forest, and Ulquiorra had simply fought, consumed and absorbed fellow arrancar, several adjuchas, and one very unfortunate Menos grande until his body was intact again and his power restored.

Ulquiorra had been promoted, taking the 2nd position that Barragan's death had left in the ranks. Grimmjow had replaced Nnoitra as 5th Espada. Stark was still around, but Hallibel had been replaced by a new face, a healer female arrancar known as Risa Kitty. Kitty had then gathered more female fraccion to her side and sponsored Lolly and Menolly as the new tenth. Yammy had been bumped up to Grimmjow's old sixth position. Another female, known simply as Kamrin the Centurion took the seventh.

Szayel had been rescued first from death, then from the grips of Mayuri's wonder drug, and been given Ulquiorra's former position, number four. Szayel's hair however, had three sharp white streaks in it, a mark of how much he'd suffered in that battle. Tesla, Nnoitra's former fraccion had become number eight in his place. And another healer, Zephly Ophiucus Ascepilas had taken the 9th position left behind by Arleri.

With the new ten, Aizen began to fill the ranks of his army anew. But creating more arrancar took /time./

And Gin's whining that he wanted to have children gave Aizen an idea.

Ulquiorra had volunteered as a test subject. But Aizen wanted one more, far less willing, person to test his new kidou on. And so he'd just finished a private meeting during which he'd drugged Tousen.

Grimmjow had Tousen slung over his shoulder fireman style as he entered the throne room where two medical tables had been set up. "I got 'im, what you want me to do?" He asked Zephly as he directed the setup for Aizen's experiment.

"Place him on this table here, and then cuff him to it. Arms and legs." Zephly said coolly. "Hey, did you notice? There's an awful not of men here, but no ladies." He cackled. "Kitty made the girl espada stay out of this out of protest! Its not surprising. I've known her since the fall or Rome she's very outspoken for a woman from her age."

Aizen simply rolled his eyes. Gin watched curiously as Tousen was cuffed to the medical table. At that moment Ulquiorra entered, wearing a soft white yukata. "Aaah, Qui-kun, the other bed please?" Zephly asked. "Just lie there and relax and let Aizen-sama work his witchery."

Ulquiorra eyed the healer. While Grimmjow ambled over to his mate. Ulquiorra chuckled, pulling his long time lover into a tender kiss. Grimmjow chuckled, running his hands over Ulquiorra's frame, squeezing his butt gently and burying his face in his koi's silky black hair. "I'm holding you as a man one last time." Grimmjow husked softly in his ear.

"I'll be fine love. I want to give parenthood a try, and you're the last person I'd imagine as a girl, or a mother." Ulquiorra chuckled into his lover's chest. "Unless, of course, you want to be the one to carry."

"No, you're completely right." Grimmjow replied. "I'm a daredevil, I'm not the sort which should be doing this."

Gin clung to Aizen, a cute smirk on his face. "aawwww, how adorable. You're enjoying doing this aren't you?"

Aizen wrapped an arm around Gin's waist. "Happy underlings mean obedient underlings. If Ulquiorra is happy taking maternity leave to try and have a baby I have no problem with that. He's proven his loyalty."

All of a sudden a blur of blonde bolted into the room. Wonderweiss had /clung/ to Tousen, moaning woefully. That was when Tousen woke up. He wrestled with the chains. "WHAT THE HELL????" He demanded. "AIZEN! LET ME GO!"

Zephly grabbed Wonderweiss from behind, pulling the struggling halfwit away from the man he considered his "Parent." Zephly pinched the back of his neck, applying pressure near his spinal column and the halfwit Arrancar just started to shiver.

Aizen smirked, walking over to Tousen. Grimmjow backed up, kissing Ulquiorra one last time.

Tousen wasn't sure at first what Aizen was about. Then he heard the familiar muttering of Aizen's gender kidou. Blind eyes turned bitter with hatred. Tousen kept struggling, while Ulquiorra simply lay there serenely, surrendering to the kidou.

Tousen's world dissolved in bright pink light. Then he felt something sharp pinch into his shoulder. And he blacked out.

When Grimmjow ran over to check on his newly transformed mate, Ulquiorra was… "He's asleep?" O.O grimmjow blinked.

"In most cases, the spell has a sedative worked into it." Aizen replied. "He'll sleep for a few hours and then wake up looking for sex."

Grimmjow growled possessively, arrancar mating instinct taking over. "If you don't mind, Aizen-sama, I'm going to take him somewhere peaceful and private to sleep it off."

Aizen watched as Grimmjow scooped his lover up and hurried out for their quarters.

As for Tousen, he and Wonderweiss were locked into Tousen's quarters, to wake up later. Aizen was confident that Tousen would not look to the halfwit for sex when he awoke. The little arrancar was a son to Tousen, and he was not attracted to him.


	3. Chapter 3

Rukia ran down the hall to her room, completely embarrassed by what she just saw, and even more embarrassed that she was now sporting an erection.

And her mind turned to Orihime, and that erection twitched, as if to emphasize her suppressed interest in the redhead. Orihime was only a few rooms over checking on those that had woken up. She'd been there when Rukia had awakened as a man, Orihime had thrown her arms around Rukia and comforted her while the woman wept and tried to process the changes in her body. And Rukia had been thinking of the big breasted red head ever since. The only interruption was when Rangiku had brought her some get well chocolates, and Rukia had been unable to focus on the blonde lieutenant's face, instead her eyes were on the woman's breasts the entire time. It made the Kuchiki woman remember the age old saying, "A woman looks for a man to satisfy her every need. A man wants every woman to satisfy his /only/ need."

Rukia burrowed under the covers on the western style bed in the room and curled up in a ball, praying that her erection would go away before somebody came in to see her and noticed.

"Rukia?" Orihime's voice could be heard at the door. "Are you okay?"

"Go away."

"I heard you scream!" Orihime pouted, and Rukia peered up over the edge of the blankets.

"I saw Niisama and Kurosaki-kun having sex."

Orihime kind of head tilted, then giggled at that. "awwwww, how cute!"

"huh? How is that cute? Its mortifying!"

"Let me guess, you got excited." Orihime giggled.

"And why is that amusing?" Rukia demanded. "Just don't come near… OOF!" She was tackled by Orihime. The red head smirked, resting her head on Rukia's chest and rubbing her breasts against her. Rukia found herself face first in Orihime's breasts, much like Rangiku might have. "You're awefully bold." Rukia's face was rapidly turning tomato red.

"And why shouldn't I be bold? You guys have this horrible idea that I'm an innocent, naïve little girl. And even as a man, you have a beautiful body." Orihime chuckled, caressing Rukia's cheek.

"Orihime, before what happened at the picnic, I wanted… to talk to you, to ask you."

"hmm?" Orihime asked, tracing patterns on Rukia's chest with her fingers.

"I… I don't know if I should now."

"Say it Rukia." Orihime glared down at the shinigami.

"Huh?"

"You have a crush on me. I'm not blind. I know you do. I've been waiting for you to say it. If you don't have the courage to say it then I'm not interested." Orihime said, frowning. "I want you to be able to tell me what you're feeling, not keep it bottled up."

Rukia propped herself up in the bed, and Orihime took her hands and looked into her eyes. "Say it." The redhead urged again.

Rukia looked into Orihime's eyes, and she started to cry. "Orihime, I love you!" She threw her arms around Orihime, but Rukia just sobbed. "My body feels so… wrong… I feel so dirty I…" Rukia's blush turned from red to purple, as Orihime rested her head on Rukia's chest.

"I don't care." Orihime said softly. "I mean, I care that you're hurting, but I don't care what body you're in. Rukia is Rukia." Orihime carefully peeled back the blankets on Rukia's bed, kneeling between the Kuchiki woman's legs and reaching to undo the obi on the light robe she was wearing. "And you're the only one I want."

Rukia's brain just screeched to a halt, as she realized what Orihime was after. "B… bu…"

"I want to show you, that I'm not ashamed of you as a man. Gender doesn't matter, what matters is love." Orihime said quietly as she removed Rukia's robe. She reached out to kiss rukia, and that is when Rukia finally gave in to the desire welling up in her body this whole afternoon.

Rukia blushed as Orihime took her changed body in. "So… you like what you see?"

"Yes, very much." Orihime chuckled. She leaned down, taking Rukia's erection into her hands and into her mouth.

Rukia groaned in pleasure, leaning back and clutching at the sheets. Orihime slowly took more and more into her mouth, sucking at the other's shaft. Rukia panted, body shuddering as Orihime worked her mouth.

"Ori… Orihime I… I want to…" Orihime looked up. Rukia gently peeled the girl off her. "Orihime I… I want to make love to you. Please… let me make love to you…" Rukia groaned.

Orihime chuckled low in her throat. _I want Rukia, to be more comfortable with her male body. Its not the best way to help her, but it should make her feel better._

Orihime smiled a sultry smile, and began to slip off her shirt. She'd come to the soul society still wearing her school uniform. And so she peeled off the vest, then the shirt. Then she made a show of undoing her bra. Rukia's eyes were watching her the entire time. Good, she had her attention. Then Orihime started on her skirt, and her underthings, tossing them away in front of Rukia's appreciative eye, until they were both naked.

Rukia was smiling now, slowly warming to the redhead's advances. She carefully flipped them over, reaching out to take one of the other woman's breasts in her mouth. Orihime's breath hitched, her body slowly flushing with pleasure as Rukia slowly worked her way down, kissing her way to the other girl's entry.

Rukia licked up Orihime's entry, licking around the labia and gently sucking the upper portion and clitoris into her mouth at once.

Orihime squealed in pleasure, legs kicking the air in surprise. "RUKIA!" she cried in pleasure.

"Orihime..." Rukia groaned, her cock was twitching, hard and begging for attention.

Orihime pulled Rukia up so that their bodies were level. She kissed the young Kuchiki. "I have no doubt you have a skilled mouth Rukia. But I'll have forever and a day to experience it. I want to feel something... far more substantial."

"Wow. Orihime I never thought you'd be that direct."

"I have to be with you." Orihime chuckled. "Does it feel that dirty to you that you don't want to use a natural part of your body?" Orihime tilted Rukia's chin up so that she was looking into her eyes.

"Um... not really. But for some reason the expression on Chizuru's face if she heard what was happening went through my mind. And I realized that if I did that, it might have unintended consequences." Rukia kissed Orihime tenderly. "I am... ACHING for you. But I don't want to risk getting you pregnant."

"Its alright Rukia." Orihime's hands began to stroke Rukia's body. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it hmm?" She reached out to grip Rukia's erection daringly. "Besides, when you become a woman again, we won't be able to have a child that's related to both of us. Think about it, lesbian couples can adopt or get some random guy's sperm to use. But in both cases the child isn't related to both sides of the relationship. Let what will come, come, and take life one step at a time."

Rukia realized there was a new truth to the saying "she had me by the balls." "If you're sure... Orihime...." Rukia said shyly. She positioned herself outside Orihime's entry, "ready?"

"And waiting." Just as rukia thrust in, Orihime pulled her into a far more fervent kiss than the others. Orihime thrust her tongue into Rukia's mouth, exploring the cavern she'd longed to taste for such a horribly long time.

Rukia groaned in pleasure at a sensation alien to the female mind, the feeling of being buried hilt deep in one's lover. The pressures around her member felt heavenly, addictive. Was this why men were so horny? "Orhime...."

"Its alright Rukia, this is you."

* * *

Hitsugaya was dreaming. In his dream his body flickered between male and female. He was following Ukitake around his office and quarters, trying to get him to notice him. But Ukitake couldn't see him. It was as if Hitsugaya was invisible.

Then he felt ice enveloping him. Hyorinmaru always did that when he wanted to talk to Hitsugaya.

"Hyourinmaru?" In an instant Hitsugaya was in his inner world.

"Hitsugaya." Icy wings enveloped him, and Hitsugaya's body was suddenly, totally female. "Toushiro. I'm so sorry."

"For what?"

"Look at your body Toushiro." Hyourinmaru nudged him.

"Yeah, I was going to ask why I'm a girl."

"You'll find out when you awaken, Hitsugaya, remember that you are what you are in your mind. And to do whatever it is that will make you happy." Hyourinmaru nuzzled Hitsugaya tenderly. "Don't worry about your job. Worry about your heart and what will make it happy." The dragon was keenly in pain. And Hitsugaya wondered why, reaching up to stroke his zanpakuto's muzzle lovingly.

Hyourinmaru's lips curled in a sad smile. And his world faded into consciousness.

Hitsugaya's eyes fluttered open. He was wearing the robes given to those in the fourth for medical treatment. But he knew for a fact the room he awakened in was not the fourth. Hitsugaya got up and hurried to the window to try and figure out where he was, and saw an aging Kuchiki clan seal on the wall of the garden outside his window. The four Noble clans had many properties that they'd allowed the seireitei to borrow if they needed it in exchange for a small amount of rent. The four clans more than the minor ones were very much "Company Families" Proud that they could make financial and familial sacrifice to the gotei thirteen.

That was when Hitsugaya turned to examine his room, and saw the mirror. He turned, checking himself over as he didn't feel any bandages or wounds. How could he be hurt if he wasn't bleeding anywhere? Had he run out of Reiatsu? Doing so didn't always leave a mark on the physical body. It was the only way he could think of he could have been hurt without a wound.

Then the hands that patted over his body hit his chest. Breasts? He had breasts?

The dream came back to Hitsugaya, and he realized that this was what it had been trying to tell him. As his hands came to his crotch, Hitsugaya confirmed it, he was a girl. Hitsugaya staggered back, his expression becoming fearful.

Hitsugaya's mind started to race both in fear and panic. What happened? How had he suddenly woken up as a girl? It felt... wrong... painful.. his heart was breaking.... Hitsugaya hated his body, it felt wrong, and he hated himself for hating his body, it didn't make any sense.

And suddenly he was terrified, his thoughts turned to his dream about Ukitake, and suddenly Hitsugaya was running down the hallway to where he sensed Ukitake's spiritual pressure. He threw the door to Ukitake and Kyouraku's room open and before the taichou knew what had happened the white blur ran through the door and clung to his side.

Ukitake and Shunsui had finished having sex about five minutes before Hitsugaya ran in and clung to the white haired captain's side. Ukitake was tired, he didn't have the same sort of stamina that Shunsui did. He loved going at it for long periods of time, but he had to rest in between orgasms.

"Toushiro? Are you alright?"

"My body! What happened to my body? It hurts... it hurts so bad... I want to hit something, I want to break something! I want to... I want to..." Hitsugaya shivered, his cheeks blushing slightly.

Ukitake had already heard this from Shunsui, the urge to have sex that took over, like an itch that HAD to be scratched and would not be quiet.

Ukitake wrapped his arms warmly around Hitsugaya's body. "Toushiro, I know it feels bad right now."

Shunsui sat up, and wrapped his arms around Hitsugaya from the other side. "Toushiro, it will be alright. Now what was the last thing you remember?"

"We'd gone to bring Ichigo back and apologize for hurting his feelings, then I remember this bright flash of light, and a lot of pain mixed with pleasure. And then I was waking up as a /girl!/"

"Aizen apparently, invented a Kido that changed the target's gender. He used it on Ichigo and a bunch of us and then disappeared."

"Who else...?" Hitsugaya asked. "Oh god, not Momo!" If his sister went mad from being hypnotized by Aizen's shikai, then she'd go absolutely crazy turned into a boy.

"no she's fine." Ukitake assured him. "She came here looking for you earlier, but you were still asleep and she didn't want to bother you if you needed to rest."

Hitsugaya was trembling in a mixture of fear, lust and self loathing. "My body just feels so wrong!" Hitsugaya cried, burying his face in Ukitake's chest and crying. "it hurts so much, I hate the pain and I hate myself for hurting and my body just feels so CURSED." He wept. "And then there's..."

"One of the affects of the kido is an increased Libido." Shunsui buried his face in Hitsugaya's hair. Hitsugaya tensed slightly, he smelled sex, he'd learned that smell from some of his subordinates coming back late from their break with that scent on their body. He'd always found it annoying. And now that smell just made his confusing emotions stronger.

To Hitsugaya lust was something mechanical, he'd wake up with morning wood and he'd go to the bathroom and get rid of it. If something he saw gave him an erection he'd just excuse himself and get rid of it. And now just simple masturbation wouldn't do anything for him. "FUCK... now I need sex. Thank you very much Kyouraku, I smelled it on you and now I can't get the desire out of my head."

Shunsui chuckled. "well you did walk in on us between being intimate. Jyou has to rest periodically when we're having sex."

Hitsugaya blushed scarlet. Ukitake chuckled. "But you know..." Shunsui whispered in his ear. "You are sitting next to a master of pleasure." One of his hands ghosted over the back of Hitsugaya's thigh. "Jyou and I are flexible... we don't mind having someone join us every so often."

Hitsugaya about turned purple. "Fine. I just need to get rid of this... need." He growled softly.

"Totally understandable." Shunsui purred, gently pulling Hitsugaya's head around to kiss him. "you aren't usually my type, but I suppose just once or twice, while you're having troubles with self control, I can make an exception."

Hitsugaya groaned, tensing slightly at first and then surrendering completely to Shunsui's kiss. As a woman his face was smooth, not a trace of the five o clock shadow that he was known for. Something in the back of Hitsugaya's mind pouted, he wanted to feel the scratch of a beard.

Then Ukitake's arms closed around him from behind, stroking and massaging his back. Those gentle hands worked down to his hips, then massaged his ass. Hitsugaya groaned, arching his back into Ukitake's searching, talented hands.

A few moments later Hitsugaya felt Ukitake's fingers slipping into his female entrance. Hitsugaya wriggled slightly, struggling to keep his body still. Part of it was panic at the change of body, Hitsugaya was used to only having one entry. His body was sending him confusing signals, pleasure in places that normally would not. His hands tightened on Shunsui's shoulders. A second finger joined the first, and Hitsugaya snuggled into Shunsui's grip, Ukitake now had one arm around his waist and his fingers carefully scissoring Hitsugaya's hole. "Relax your body Toushiro." Shunsui purred softly in his ear. "it feels better if your body is relaxed."

Hitsugaya nodded dumbly, trying to keep his body slack, but between the unfamiliar pleasure and Shunsui's female body. Ukitake turned his fingers just a little, stroking at a rough patch in his passage that caused Hitsugaya to yowl. For a moment, his pleasure hazed mind thought his prostate had been carried over into his female form. But as Ukitake paused, and Hitsugaya's mind slowly started to work again he realized that was stupid.

The fingers withdrew, and suddenly Shunsui was shifting Hitsugaya's position. Now it was Ukitake's chest he was resting against. The part of Hitsugaya that was still a man was much more interested in Ukitake. He planted his hands on Ukitake's shoulders and snuggled against his pale chest.

Hitsugaya had long since realized that he preferred men. With all the advances Gin had made on him before his exile, advances Hitsugaya had rejected in favor of his career, Hitsugaya had discovered his interest in men very quickly after attaining captaincy. Most of the wet dreams he'd had prior to the incident with Rukia had involved either Ukitake or Gin. And he was relieved that at the very least this preference hadn't been meddled with by whatever Kido Aizen had used. Hitsugaya didn't think he could handle it if Aizen had meddled with /that./

And with that, Hitsugaya straddled Ukitake's hips, and pushed firmly down, impaling himself on the other white haired captain's erection. His abrupt motion produced a quick, stinging pain, and then nothing but the pleasure of being filled. At the same time his hands reached up, pulling Ukitake into a powerful, passionate kiss.

Ukitake squeaked in surprise. He hadn't expected Hitsugaya to be so direct. He responded to the kiss, twining their tongues briefly before pulling away. But just like Hitsugaya needed a few moments to adjust as well. Ukitake looked over his shoulder at Shunsui. They weren't exclusive, but the person who usually took advantage of that was Shunsui. Ukitake was devoted to the 8th captain, and never thought about taking a second partner or a three way.

And here was Hitsugaya, clinging to him, impaled on his length and snuggling against his chest like he belonged there. When Ukitake looked down into Hitsugaya's eyes. The normally rigid and standoffish tenth captain's eyes were half lidded in pleasure.

The change in partner was definitely having an effect on him. Hitsugaya was small framed and small boned and it was his first time in any form, male or female. It made him delightfully, almost maddeningly tight. Ukitake guessed that the kidou had made him grow a few inches, because when Hitsugaya rubbed his body against Ukitake's his hair came up right under Ukitake's chin.

Then the diminuative taichou's voice startled Ukitake. "Move already." Hitsugaya husked. That demanding tone sent a primal jolt down Ukitake's erection that he hadn't felt since his youth, when his and Shunsui's relationship was young.

Ukitake pulled back just a little, then thrust back in, in, out, in, out. Hitsugaya groaned in pleasure, using his grip on Ukitake's shoulders to lift himself, then drop, starting a natural up and down motion.

Hitsugaya didn't take long to get the rhythmn of the position they were using. It took some of the strain off of Ukitake, for as they began to fall into a rhythmn, he could sense distantly that the act put a mild strain on the thirteenth captain. And then as sweat began to cover their bodies Hitsugaya's balance slipped, and one downthrust hit the rough patch that Ukitake had stroked earlier. Hitsugaya screamed in pleasure, and made the shift in angle more consistant. Each hit to that one spot made Hitsugaya see white as much as it would have as a man. It was something familiar, and Hitsugaya loved it.

Ukitake was in absolute heaven. Hitsugaya was tighter than Shunsui was, after years of their familiar sexual activities. And he'd have thought that the tenth captain was shyer than he really was. And after Hitsugaya discovered the g-spot, the female body's equivalent to the prostate, the smaller captain's increasingly frenzied movements didn't take long to bring them both tumbling towards orgasm.

Hitsugaya went first, screaming in pleasure. His already tight passage writhed around Ukitake. Hitsugaya felt his body buck and arch and writhe, jerking like he'd just been electrocuted. Ukitake screamed in pleasure, slender, pale body curling around Hitsugaya's smaller frame. As Hitsugaya buried his face in Ukitake's chest he felt the other come inside him, spilling searing hot seed into his body. He groaned in pleasure, the sensation was incredible.

Hitsugaya sank into Ukitake's arms, not even bothering to pull the other out. He curled up against Ukitake and drifted into some beautiful golden place between waking and consciousness. He felt Shunsui's hands reach for them both, and all of a sudden Hitsugaya was sandwiched between Ukitake and Shunsui. There were breasts pushed affectionately against his back.

"I'd never have expected you to be so bold." Ukitake mumbled, feeling just as drowsy.

"I expected it." Shunsui chuckled. "I have an eye for these sorts of things."

"I discovered that I liked men very early on." Hitsugaya said in the same drowsy tone. "When I became a captain Gin kept trying to get me to... play... with him, I shoved him away every time. I didn't want him. Something about his aura made me not want to trust him. Especially not with something as intimate as sex. And then... I guess I matured enough to feel desire. The two biggest objects of my wet dreams were Gin, though I never admitted it aloud, and Uki... I mean Jyoushiro." Hitsugaya sighed. "By the time this happened, I'd had several fantasies of exactly what I wanted to do."

Shunsui snorted. "I knew it! Jyou he mooned over you, you just were being too... you... you saw him as a child to be babied, even after he hit the one century mark. You didn't see him as a living, sexual, creature. Which is what everyone has, somewhere in their soul. Thats why I'm so good at what I do. I can read people's... I call it their sexual personality." He was greeted with a snort that slowly turned into a snore.

"You could tell?" Hitsugaya arched an eyebrow drowsily.

"Of course, I've got eight centuries of sexual experience. I can read just about anybody's movements when it comes to sex." Shunsui rubbed his breasts against Hitsugaya's back. "I knew you were gay because you always got so tense when Rangiku kept trying to... well she considers it affection but others might think of it as an advance. Hell, just a few seconds ago you tensed in reaction to feeling my breasts against your back. Do I... completely turn you off Toushiro?"

"Not completely, because I keep thinking of you the way you look as a man. I'm sorry, if you were in your male form I probably would have wanted you more. Women just make me feel uncomfortable. Especially when they're touching me."

Shunsui reached up and gently sucked on Hitsugaya's ear, the diminutive taichou shuddered in a mixture of pleasure and disgust. If Shunsui had been male, Hitsugaya would have squealed in pleasure. "Crap, I'm sorry Kyoura..."

"Shunsui... and you need not apologize." Shunsui purred. "When I'm back in the body I belong in, I'll make up for making you uncomfortable I promise. I just... thrive... on human contact. But remember please that Jyou doesn't have much endurance." Indeed, Ukitake had drifted off to sleep while they were talking. "But you know, I think he liked what you were doing. I haven't heard him yowl like that in over a century."

Hitsugaya slowly, slowly drifted off to sleep, thinking that if Shunsui was encouraging him, he wouldn't be offended if he continued to, occasionally, sleep with his lover. Maybe even a three way when the lusty eighth captain was back in his normal body. Ukitake was really quite beautiful. He just didn't realize it.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry its taking so long, this chapter was difficult to write. And i think among the arrancar remaining, Grimmy or Ulq are likely the only ones Tousen would touch. Ulq is a girl for nine months, that leaves Grimmjow. Enjoy the surprise random, but very hot, pairing.

* * *

Izuru groaned as Shuhei massaged the breasts of his female form. They'd been at it on and off since Izuru woke up. Izuru had been unable to handle the overload of hormones, his newly female body craved sex.

Izuru panted, "Shuhei... just..." Shuhei lifted Izuru's legs, taking in the sight of his lover before him. Izuru's breasts weren't particularly large, his female form was slender, just the right proportions for Shuhei. He was flushed with desire, splayed out naked on the bed, female organs oozing fluid, engorged with bloodflow.

Izuru wrapped his legs around Shuhei's hips. Shuhei smiled, his cock twitching at the sight of his partner's willingness. Izuru didn't normally have this kind of libido.

Shuhei wasn't particularly long, about average, but he was pretty thick. And Izuru loved it. "you just look so sexy like this, splayed out in front of me begging for it." Shuhei grinned, lining up with Izuru's entrance before pressing the head inside. "Lets drag this out koi, no need to have you run out of energy.

Izuru groaned, trying to arch his hips, to get Shuhei to fill him completely. Shuhei instead pressed Izuru's hips to the mattress. "lets try taking this a little slower." He leaned in, husking in Izuru's ear, then he kissed his lover, passionately, deeply. "God your whole body is hot..." Shuhei groaned.

Izuru purred against him, and when Shuhei's lips latched onto his koi's breast, Izuru moaned beneath him. "Please... please... all the way...." Shuhei's hard, dripping member was tantalizing, Izuru felt every drip of precum like a drop of fire. He reached up, wrapping his arms around his koi's neck.

Shuhei slowly, slowly, pushed his way in, making it agonizingly slow. Izuru moaned, grip tightening on Shuhei's shoulders. "I want... oh god Shuhei I want...." Izuru moaned. "Please Shuhei..." Izuru was filled, Shuhei's erection burning its way into him.

Shuhei chuckled, lifting his hips, shifting Izuru's angle he moved them so that they're on their side on the bed, then he began to thrust into his koi, taking a steady pace rather than a fast one. He shifted his angle, aiming for a small rough patch in his koi's body.

Izuru screamed in pleasure, his body writhing with each stroke, screaming Shuhei's name. Shuhei growled lustily, nearing his own release. He plunged himself deep, deep into his koi's body, shoving his dick in as far as he could go, releasing his seed, coming once, twice, three times, forcefully and powerfully.

And izuru, gentle modest Izuru groaned, taking every drop into his female body. Shuhei looped his arms around Izuru, keeping their bodies close. Izuru was crying. "God this is... I've never been this..."

Shuhei snuggled against him. "Usually I'm the one wanting more. Are you alright?"

"My body just feels so... so WRONG... and so... thirsty. And it wants MORE, it wants your... your seed..." Izuru stammered, face flushing in embarrassment.

"its alright love... just tell me what you want and I will give it gladly." Shuhei kissed Izuru's throat, licking up to his ear.

"oooh I know you will." Izuru groaned. "I know it feels odd but... sex actually dulls the pain."

Shuhei whispered in his ear. "I know this isn't you, you and I both know it. Do you want me to keep going? We've been at it for hours."

"No. FUCK this is enough." Izuru groaned. "Shuhei, call Unohana and ask her for a sedative. I want to sleep through this."

Shuhei nodded. "i'll stay by you the entire time. Go shower first though." He called a hell butterfly. **Unohana taichou you said I could call you if I needed anything?**

**Yes Shuhei what is it? **

**Izuru, he wants a sedative. He wants to sleep through it. Unohana he's not in very good shape. He's been craving sex nonstop. Unohana-taichou, he's a very... gentle... person, very modest... especially after what Gin put him through. I'm surprised he let me do as much as we did and it... I never thought I'd be sorry to have more sex with him. **

**Its alright Shuhei, I understand. **Gin and Izuru had developed a TWISTED relationship. For a long time Izuru had accepted Gin's raw, fetish ridden, demanding sexual appetites. Gin wanted a LOT of sex, and he got off on the sight of pain and blood. Izuru just wanted one or two orgasms a night and he was finished. He was easy enough for Shuhei to satisfy. Gin had repeatedly cheated on him with other people, even prepositioning Shuhei. The only thing that can possibly give Gin a NORMAL taste in sex was if he were the uke. If Gin were the uke he would be extremely wanton, wanting more and more until his lover's balls were dry. Licking his lover's cock clean for every /drop/ of cum like a whore.

Then one night, Izuru couldn't take it anymore. He refused Gin, and Gin beat him senseless. Everything short of stabbing him. And that night is when it tipped the line from consent into rape.

Unohana had pleaded with the Chamber of 46 to have Gin punished for what he'd done. But the 46 couldn't get past the fact that the two had been in a relationship prior to the incident. The soul society was far behind the human world in the prosecution of rape. Ever since then Izuru had lived in fear, and Unohana's heart had broken every time she had to heal and clean Izuru's wounds and broken body.

So she took the run to the compound at top shunpo. She composed herself, and knocked on the bathroom Izuru was showering in. "Izuru its Unohana."

"I'll be out in a minute."

"How long have you been in there?"

"Twenty minutes." Izuru admitted.

"Then you are clean... please dry off and come out."

"I'm still dirty." Izuru grumbled.

"I know... Izuru I know... we need to talk before you take the sedative. Please come out when you can. And save some hot water for the others in the compound?"

"I took a cold shower."

"THEN GET OUT OF THERE BEFORE YOU SUFFER HYPOTHERMIA!" Unohana cried in alarm, an edge of sternness in her voice.

Izuru stumbled out a few seconds later, a towel wrapped around his chest down to his knees.

"Come on Izuru." Unohana lead Izuru back to his bedroom. "Before I give you a sedative I want to make sure you've eaten, and drunk at least three glasses of water and relieved yourself. The sedative I give you will keep you out for twelve hours, and between every dose you're going to need to eat a small amount, drink a few glasses of water and then go to the bathroom. You'll be unconscious for two days, more or less, thats how long I think it will take for your body to recognize that you've had sex with shuhei and shut down the lust being fed into your brain by the kido. I won't lie to you, after this there is a very high chance of pregnancy."

Izuru gasped, squeezing his eyes shut and crawling into Shuhei's lap.

"So I need to know Izuru, what's going through your head. Is it just a case of flashbacks or..."

"For all we know Aizen himself was casting that kido. Aizen is GIN'S lover. I feel like I've been soiled all over again." Izuru started to cry, burying his face in Shuhei's chest.

"But it would be shuhei's baby inside you Izuru, not Gin..."

"And thats the only reason why I haven't completely lost it." Izuru grumbled.

"Do you want a baby Izuru?"

"I'm not sure." He said quietly. "I don't BELONG in this body!" He threw his arms around Shuhei and just cried.

"I'm going to get up, and get you some chicken soup Izuru. I expect you to eat as much of it as you can. Okay? And some water."

Shuhei wrapped his arms around his koi. "Izuru, I love you, with all my heart. I won't do anything you don't want to do. You're the boss. Until you get your normal body back, you're the boss."

"Will you stay with me? While I sleep?" Izuru begged softly.

"I'll only get up to go to the bathroom and to eat." shuhei told him. "Swear it." He pulled Izuru into his arms. "My little sleeping beauty."

"Izuru," Unohana returned with chicken soup for Izuru, and some vegetable fried rice and simple noodles for Shuhei. "I want you to eat as much as you can hold, drink as much as you can. There's a danger that being asleep for so long could lead to dehydration. I'm going to teach you a very simple way to tell. Use your skin." she set down the tray and held out her hand for Izuru's, gesturing for Izuru to give her his hand. She pinches a bit of skin. "See how the skin snaps back? Thats because you aren't dehydrated. (1) If your skin slowly returns to its shape, rather than snaps back immediately thats a sign of severe dehydration, call me immediately, and slowly drink as much room temperature water as you can handle. We have IV's, but they're costly to produce, and take TIME. They're reserved for medical emergencies. And severe dehydration is one of them but..."

Izuru nodded. "I'm a naturally careful person Unohana taichou. Thank you. I apologize. My body is just... I can't stand it... even with Shuhei, I feel so... cheap..."

"you need a little more care than the others, thats all." Unohana said kindly. "you've showered, now eat and drink. I need to check on the others."

Unohana rose, and tiptoed her way down the hall, checking silently on the others affected by the Kido.

Rukia and Orihime were fine, sound asleep, and naked, in each others arms. This was something that she had predicted, and she was glad the two had wound up together. They made a good couple. Rukia would provide common sense, and Orihime would provide warmth.

Unohana couldn't find Hitsugaya, and worried until she found him sprawled with Shunsui and Ukitake on the bed. They were curled in an intimate position, and all three were sleeping soundly. That was quite unusual, the youngest captain sleeping with the two oldest other than the commander.

Ichigo and Byakuya's room was last. Unohana expected to find them fighting each other like cats and dogs. Instead she found Renji passed out on Ichigo's pallet, and Ichigo and Byakuya locked in an intimate, tender, somewhat drowsy kiss, both settling in for a nap. "Byakuya?"

"Hmmmm?"

"Thank you, your hands are so... warm... I can feel your intent through the way you touch me, so gentle, so tender.... this was exactly what I needed."

"you're welcome. Its simply a matter of finding comfort in each other. It hurts, horribly."

Unohana frowned. What they were describing seemed almost like something she'd heard in the world of the living a long time prior, transsexuals and the origin of the crippling depression they often experienced. The origin was believed to be a difference between the brain and the body. The brain was one gender, the body was the other. Perhaps this was the key to turning them back? She'd have to ask Kurotsuchi.

Unohana tip toed back to check on Izuru and Shuhei. Izuru was leaning on Shuhei's shoulder as he ate. They were almost finished. Then Unohana could sedate Izuru and find some place to privately release her worries.

* * *

As Unohana was worrying, tousen was waking up in his room in hueco mundo. There was a small figure curled up against him. Tousen ran his fingers over the person's face and identified Wonderweiss. Then he started patting himself over, confirming his worst fear.

Aizen had used the kido on him. Tousen felt a sudden wave of emotion, depression, rage, fear. Wonderweiss snuggled closer to him, and when he did one more emotion came to the blind shinigami that made him blush.

Maternal instinct. Tousen's newly changed body thought Wonderweiss was his child. It wasn't that far from the truth, tousen had adopted the halfwit arrancar, thought of him as a son. He'd never had children and he wanted a baby of his own badly. But he wasn't interested in women, and didn't have the time.

He was angry, and scared, and he held Wonderweiss close. The halfwit stirred, "ooooaaaaah..." He took in Tousen's changed appearance, slightly confused.

"Its me Wonderweiss." Tousen easily found the halfwit's hair, stroking it gently.

The halfwit made a happy noise, snuggling close to Tousen and clinging tightly.

A familiar presence appeared at the door. Tousen could tell who it was from their spirit pressure. "Grimmjow, what do you want."

"Well, Ulquiorra has had about enough, but I'm still raring to go. So I wanted to see if you looked good as a girl. Maybe gloat a little that I kept my manhood and you didn't."

Wonderweiss ran off to hide, Tousen's quarters were several rooms, a bedroom, a bathroom, and a livingroom slash kitchenette. Tousen was in the bedroom, Wonderweiss fled to the livingroom. "Stay away..." He growled.

"What, all of a sudden you're scared of me?" He felt Grimmjow sit down on the bed, and was not particularly paranoid to imagine the arrancar's eyes raking over his body. His female form was not particularly large in the chest, about a B cup. But tousen was very, very aware of the shapeliness around his waist and hips and butt. Grimmjow reeked of sex, and his Reiatsu was just barely containing the desire seething in the sexta espada's aura. It was making Tousen feel very, very, vulnerable. Sex was on Grimmjow's mind. And with Wonderweiss too frightened to approach, the maternal instinct he felt for the halfwit arrancar was fading quickly, being replaced by lust and curiousity. A fatal attraction.

Tousen gulped, inching away as Grimmjow inched closer. The part of his body screaming "sex sex sex!" was rapidly gaining control and if Grimmjow got too close, he'd surrender quickly to the arrancar's raging lust. True, with Grimmjow mated to Ulquiorra he could easily make this a one time thing. But he also knew that if he had sex in this body, he'd get pregnant. He was a prisoner in his own quarters. He would NOT have the option of aborting. He wanted a baby of his own, but not so badly that he'd sleep with Grimmjow to get it.

Grimmjow inched after him. "You know, Aizen wants you to have that chance, to have a kid... he told me you told Gin that... if you refuse me, he'll just send someone else. He could send Szayel. Or Zephly. Hell, Stark is a closet pervert, but I know he wouldn't refuse that ass. I can even make it pleasurable for yah. Szayel, he likes to play games you know."

Tousen shivered. He HATED sex games. HATED them. And the need to get off was rapidly overriding common sense.

"I may be an asshole outside the bedroom Tousen, but I am very considerate, and gifted beneath the sheet. I won't do anything until you move. And I'm good. Very good."

"I have never..." Tousen flushed. "I have never seen your face, let me..." He reached out gently, feeling Grimmjow's face and hair with his fingers, his way of seeing what someone looked like. Grimmjow held still, letting him.

If he weren't so blood thirsty, Tousen rather liked Grimmjow's physical appearance. It appealed to him as a normally very gay man and an uke. His hands moved over Grimmjow's body, starting with his shoulders and collar bone and down his ripped stomach. Very sexy... Tousen felt himself rapidly becoming turned on by what he was getting through his hands.

Grimmjow grinned stupidly, Tousen's cheeks were becoming flushed. "Yeh wanna see the goods?"

Tousen blinked slightly. "Goods?"

"yeah, my /goods./" He sniggered, giving the world a double entendre.

The former captain's face flushed in a mixture of embarassment and desire. "You really don't mind?"

"I want you, and I want you to be comfortable with that. I don't like yeh very much, but you're very pretty as a girl, and Aizen wants someone to knock you up. I don't want 'im to hand you to someone who's going to be brutal. And it spoils it if you don't like what I'm doin." Grimmjow growled, lifting his hips and stripping below the waist. He pulled tousen into his lap, then guided his hands to his dick.

Tousen's cheeks flushed instantly. Grimmjow's member was flacid right then, but he could feel it slowly coming to life as his fingers traveled down it. Grimmjow had to have been almost a foot long, thick too, with a tiger's barb on it. With his libido inflamed by the kido, tousen felt his female sex oozing fluids and his stomach doing backflips in response to this realization. Unable to control himself, Tousen's reiatsu stirred, telegraphing desire, and a lot of fear back to Grimmjow.

"Its not yer genes Tousen, its what yah do with your years. Who says... if yeh let me do it, the kid'll end up like me?" He asks. "maybe he'll end up like you, overbearing and arro..."

Grimmjow didn't get to finish, Tousen hauled him down to kiss him. "Shut up and lets get this over with." He'd work out an escape plan later. He wouldn't be able to think or move until his intensifying sex drive was satisfied. And from a purely physical standpoint, he could do worse.

Grimmjow chuckled, returning the kiss. "it'll be good, promise." They parted only for Tousen to strip. Grimmjow then manuvered them around so that Tousen was on his back, raising his legs. Grimmjow caressed the former captain's cheek, and Tousen shivered beneath his touch. Grimmjow felt really sorry for Tousen, really sorry. But orders were orders, and he didn't want to lose his arm or his tattoo twice. And he ENJOYED sex, especially getting to fuck the man who had once disgraced him so knowing he'd probably get knocked up.

And another part of him was... sad... he cared for his kids. But he knew that tousen wouldn't let him.

Grimmjow positioned himself at Tousen's entrance, and carefully, slowly thrust inside. Tousen moaned. Grimmjow's dick filled him, broke the hymen and stretched him. His entire passageway felt inflamed and over sensitive, and he could feel Grimmjow's cock pressed against his cervix. He could feel it pressed right against the hole in his cervix, the slight dip that sperm needed to enter for conception. He was dripping precum, Tousen shivered, feeling it draining into him.

Grimmjow growled softly, a sensual sound, and he guided Tousen's arms around his neck. "yeh can touch me, anywhere you want... g'won." He husked. "Fuck, your body is so... tight..."

Tousen was well and truly warring between fear and lust, it was so much more frightening when you couldn't see what Grimmjow was doing. He could be taking out his zanpakuto or clawing him bloody and Tousen wouldn't be able to see it coming. And even more frightening was that Aizen had ordered Grimmjow to try and impregnate him. This was simply his choosing the lesser evil. And at the moment he trusted Grimmjow more than Aizen.

Grimmjow grabbed Tousen's ass, squeezing and massaging and letting the ex captain set the pace. "Whatever you want, I'll do it." He was trying to encourage the other.

Tousen's touch was soft, almost shy, but he reached up to kiss Grimmjow. "its alright... go... I'm probably not going to be let out until Aizen is sure I'm... just don't let Szayel. I don't like games. I really don't." Grimmjow could feel the fear coming off him, and not directed at him this time.

Grimmjow started to thrust into Tousen, grunting with the effort. "Ah won't let him have you." He promised. "you are... beautiful..." He growled softly. Szayel would ruin this jewel.

Tousen panted, finally relaxing beneath Grimmjow's touch. He panted as he looped his legs around Grimmjow's hips. The barbs on the sexta's dick rubbed against his wall, adding an additional sensation to the experience. Sweat began to stand out on his skin. The blind shinigami started to move his hips in time with Grimmjow's thrusts. Grimmjow took it as a good sign, and began to speed up, reaching down to run a calloused thumb along Tousen's clit.

Tousen squealed in surprise, jumping about a mile before moaning and arching into his touch. It wasn't taking him very long to reach orgasm. And when he did, the blind shinigami screamed in pleasure. Grimmjow growled low, thrusting in one last time before he came, shoving his dick as far in as it would go, right up against his cervix. Tousen felt something jab at his walls, sending a shock of pleasure up his stomach. Then Grimmjow's seed flooding into him.

The two of them fell to the bed, and Grimmjow was amused and flabbergasted when Tousen crawled up alongside him and spooned against him. Grimmjow hesitated, only once, and looped his arms around Tousen's waist. "I don't... feel any really strong feelings for you. But I don't think what Aizen is doing is fair. Do you... really want a kid?"

"I don't know. But I do know that if I remain here, I will not have a choice in the matter. And while Yamamoto will not execute a pregnant woman, what would happen /after/ if I tried to escape and ran to him?"

"There is another..."

"Hmmm?"

"There's a bunch of vaizard in the warehouse district, yeh do have white death. (2) They won't be happy with you for what yeh did to them, but they'll understand why yeh don't want to go to the shinigami."

"Thats assuming I can escape." Tousen frowned.

"Well, I'm assuming you're going to try." Grimmjow replied. He buried his face in tousen's knappy hair. "Technically you are still my superior. I'm obligated to protect you. Though I am quite devoted to Ulquiorra I can't very well let Szayel get you if you fear his touch so. Though the Tousen I know wasn't this fearful."

"I can't explain it, from the moment I woke up a girl, I was... terrified." Tousen shivered. "Though Szayel disgusts me. He has potions that could do what Aizen's kido did you know. He uses them voluntarily. I once caught him as a girl, with Arleri... in their RELEASED forms. Arleri, someone showed me a raised image of him in release form, its quite disgusting."

"Szayel is a bit of a slut when it comes to sex, he's turned into an animal and insisted on being fucked before. Animals 'r only appealing when you /are/ one, and when yer an arrancar not so much, or to me at least. But Nnoitra loved it, fuckin 'im as a cat. And a puppy dog."

Tousen shivered. "I'm glad nnoitra is dead. I didn't like him." Then he paused. "Grimmjow, you said I looked beautiful?"

"Yeah, yeh do."

"I've never seen my own face. But from what I felt of your body, even if I still don't trust you, you are very beautiful. If there weren't such a difference in personalities, I might ask you and Ulquiorra to let me join you. But I do not believe the two of us are compatible. However, if it makes you feel better, by the time we finished I was... perhaps a little more... able to trust you."

Grimmjow snorted. "I'm glad of that. For now, at least, Tousen I have yer back. Rest." Tousen snuggled his face into Grimmjow's chest.

Wonderweiss found them asleep on the bed a few minutes later, and curled up in a ball next to the momma he considered his pappa.

* * *

1. This technique is used on dogs and cats to check for dehydration.

2. Huge spoiler for the manga, Tousen is, in fact, a vaizard. His mask has no eyeholes, and is called white death.


	5. Chapter 5 End Act I

Notes: Right, I said there would be "Acts" to this fanfic. This will conclude Act I. Next chapter is Act II.

* * *

"So this pill will keep me from getting pregnant?" Hitsugaya gulped, looking at the emergency contraception Unohana had just handed him. It hadn't even been a day before he'd confided his fears about getting pregnant from the... fling was how he thought of it, to Unohana.

"Yes, it tricks your body into thinking its already pregnant, and so it doesn't concieve a child. Please, I need to see if it will help. But be warned that it could fail. However, the hormones in it might be good for you. I've been debating whether hormone therepy might help your aging. It may be that the hormones responsible for growth may be stimulated by pregnancy. The problem is, because you're so small of stature, there's risks to the baby and risks to your own health. If you were taller, it MIGHT be safer but..."

"I don't want a baby anyway." Hitsugaya grumbled. "And I'd hate to have one just to make me grow."

"there is the option of adoption, if you feel like you absolutely can't abort. Remember, it would be Ukitake's child as well. He loves kids, he's always wanted... well... several of his own. I just saw him and Kyouraku before you came in. Perhaps you should talk to him?"

Hitsugaya blinked in surprise. He was still feeling lusty, he wanted more. "Alright." He closed his eyes, crossed his fingers, and downed the pill. "I'm still wanting... more..." He frowned.

Unohana sighed. "I was worried about that. Have you been feeling depressed?"

"A little yeah. I'll come to talk to you if something is wrong."

"If you don't get a period in six weeks, or begin to feel sick to your stomach, or if your depression intensifies, come get me immediately."

"Yes ma'am." Hitsugaya wandered around the grounds of the compound that he and the others affected by the Kido had been staying in before entering Ukitake and Kyouraku's room. After he'd slept with them, Ukitake had insisted he move into their room. But Hitsugaya ended up feeling like a third wheel. He wasn't sure what to think. Kyou... Shunsui he corrected himself, had insisted that he and Ukitake weren't exclusive, that he'd mainly done that so that Shunsui could be as promiscuous as he liked. But it was time Ukitake took advantage of that agreement after almost 800 years.

"Toushiro?" Hitsugaya looked up at the sound of Ukitake's voice. "Are you alright?"

"I... Unohana and I had a talk." Hitsugaya found it very, very hard to talk about this. So he climbed onto the bed next to Ukitake and leaned his head on the older captain's chest.

"Not a good one I take it."

"She says there's a high chance i'll get pregnant."

"Thats assumed, but the data coming in suggests thats the purpose for the kido yes." Ukitake wrapped his arms around Hitsugaya, and the smallest captain burrowed his face in Ukitake's chest and started to cry. "Unohana is having everyone affected take a high dose of emergency contraceptives. But its very likely Aizen thought of that already and worked in some kind of counter measure."

"She thinks the hormone changes from getting pregnant might make me grow. And translate to my body still being grown when I change back. But I.... I don't want to have a child /just/ so that I can grow. It seems so selfish. Then she suggested..." Hitsugaya sniffled slightly. "that I...." Ukitake waited for Hitsugaya to get up the strength to finish. "Unohana suggested adoption. That I ask you if you... wanted..."

"It would be my child too." Ukitake pointed out, a tender smile on his face. "I would be honored. I always wanted children of my own. But unlike Shunsui... well, I kept telling myself there was time. And then my sickness hit. And all I really wanted to be with was my Shun. I gave up having kids. I was always too tired." Hitsugaya felt something wet hit the top of his head, and he looked up, and his eyes widened.

Ukitake was crying. "Toushiro I... I'm sorry I shouldn't... tear up like this I..."

Hitsugaya never got to say anything in response. A scream was heard down the hall, and a YELL. "GET A MEDIC!"

Hitsugaya bolted to the source of the noise and balked.

Izuru's hands were cut up, sliced to ribbons. Bits of mirror glass stuck out of them in places. "What happened?" Demanded Hitsugaya as Shuhei struggled to stem the bleeding. Ichigo and Byakuya pounded down the hall. Byakuya took one look and flashstepped instantly in search of Unohana.

Izuru was staring numbly at his cut up hands. "He punched the bathroom mirror! Broke it to smithereens, sliced his hands to ribbons!" Shuhei squeezed Izuru tightly.

Ichigo looked ready to backpeddle from terror. "Why, why would he hurt himself! We're all feeling blue, why did he get it so much worse?"

Izuru was more or less in shock. "A long time ago, Gin hurt him... badly..." Shuhei hesitated.

"Hurt him? How?" Ichigo wasn't quite comprehending. But then Byakuya returned, leading Unohana behind him.

Unohana took one look and just shook her head, steering Izuru away. Shuhei just cried. Byakuya knew the answer, and he wrapped protective arms around Ichigo. Hitsugaya had only heard what happened months after the fact. But he and Ukitake both knew as well.

Ichigo looked up at Byakuya, confused. "You know don't you? What did Gin do?"

"I'll tell you later Ichigo..." byakuya steered his koi into their room.

"What happened?" Ichigo asked, voice quiet and distressed.

"You would have been a baby at the time it happened. There was a huge, but quiet scandal, Gin he... he had been in a relationship with Izuru, had been abusive, had cheated on him, Izuru couldn't take it anymore. And when he refused to have sex with Gin, Gin sexually assaulted Izuru and then beat him. At least half the captains, when we found out, myself included, wanted to have Gin kicked out of the captaincy, the rest weren't sure what we could do. There was no legal precident for such a thing. Until then captains were considered untouchable for any crime they committed. And I suspect Aizen manipulated the results of the vote to keep Gin in power. The Chamber of Fourty six voted, and were divided almost in half. My suspicion is that the women of the chamber were for, and most of the men against. But whatever happened, in the end, they couldn't get past the fact that it had been consensual for several months before the incident happened. I must imagine, that being transformed with Aizen's kido, has reminded Izuru of what he went through and sent him spiraling into depression."

Ichigo's expression was complete and utter horror. And he snuggled as deeply into Byakuya's arms as he could, struggling to take in everything that Byakuya had said. "Why... why didn't they..."

"As I said, Aizen probably manipulated the vote. He had a vested interest in keeping Gin in power. But then too, the soul society is socially very far behind the world of the living. In criminal cases it is... extremely... difficult for most officers to imagine a Captain to have done anything truly evil." Byakuya explained. "Especially something as unforgivable as assaulting a subordinate."

Ichigo just cried. He couldn't stop it. It wasn't long before Renji and Rukia joined them. And Byakuya had to comfort both lovers and his sister.

* * *

Several hours later that is what Unohana did. She'd cleaned up Izuru's hands, bandaged them, stopped the bleeding, and done a psychiatric evaluation. It didn't look good. Izuru was showing an increasing level of psychiatric instability caused by the Kido. Unohana flooded his system with a sedative, a high powered contraceptive, and as high a dose of antidepressant as she could safely give him.

Kurotsuchi found her weeping in her office, sparing a curious glance at the chart. "Your suspicions were correct. Their bodies have changed, but their brains are the same. It may be the key to changing them back."

"Then we have to rush." Unohana said quietly.

"It will take weeks, months even, to figure out. Do we even have that long?" Kurotsuchi asked. "You put the most ridiculous time limits. This kind of research must be done carefully."

"izuru might not last that long!" Unohana grabbed Kurotsuchi and pushed him down the hall by the back of the neck to Izuru's hospital room. "He punched BOTH his hands through the bathroom MIRROR." Unohana was livid. "This is an EMERGENCY. EVERY time I need something urgent you try to get more time, yet when you do the same of me I must do something immediately. There are LIVES depending on you!"

She shoved Kurotsuchi back out the door of the hospital room. The situation was very, very grave. They might not have that long! Izuru needed help NOW. Not to mention that the others who had been affected were BARELY holding on to their sanity.


	6. Chapter 6

Notes: Ugly Americans is the best comedy central show ever!!!!!!!!!!!!! After Futurama. A flesh craving zombie, a sex crazed succubus boss, a drunken wizard! Poor Mark! He's an average guy in a New York overrun by monsters!

My favorite line ever, every time a bell rings, a wizard takes a shot. * takes a shot * aaaaah, one tequila two tequila three tequila floor.

* * *

A month passed, and while Izuru's depression improved, he was barely hanging on. He was seeing Unohana for counciling every week, but when his cycle as a woman didn't come he started to get more and more uneasy.

Unohana however, insisted she wouldn't be able to tell for sure until at least six weeks. And to keep going as long as he could hang on. She was preparing herself and her office for an emergency abortion and a psychiatric emergency should Izuru try to hurt himself again. While he had described the incident with the mirror as being the result of suddenly feeling angry, uncontrollably so, over his reflection. There was nothing suicidal about it. But that could easily change.

Orihime seemed to have dodged the bullet. A week after her fervent coupling with Rukia she got her cycle, and she and Rukia switched to using condoms and spermacide immediately after.

Hitsugaya was a good deal more content with his situation when Ukitake promised to take the child in should he become pregnant. The youngest of the captains had not been ready to exchange the freedom of being young and free for the responsibilities of parenthood, even if it meant his body grew. The thought of pregnancy still scared the daylights out of the young captain, but it was an anxiety that he could deal with as long as he could count on Ukitake and Shunsui for help.

Byakuya, however, surprised Unohana with a visit early one morning. "Byakuya?" Unohana ushered him into her office. She was just beginning her morning tea and considering whether or not to try some of the human breakfast food that Hanatarou had brought back with him from the world of the living.

"What can I do for you?"

"I... I think I've fallen in love with Kurosaki Ichigo."

Unohana broke into a wide grin.

"But the problem is... he's stuck as a girl. You know the rules of the noble house. Ichigo and I have been sleeping with Renji, because of the lust of the kido making us want to have a... a man.... If I get pregnant, they won't allow me to abort it."

"You want me to perform the procedure off the books?" Unohana asked.

Byakuya nodded. "How close are you to finding a way to change back?"

"Another month at most, maybe two weeks." unohana sighed. "I don't like doing it off the books, but I agree, the other Kuchiki nobles will be troublesome."

"You will help me?"

"yes, I will. This is about YOUR happiness, not /their/ heir. If they want a baby so much, then we can wait until all this is over, use the kido again and you can try to have Ichigo's baby instead." Unohana rolled her eyes. "its very cute that you love him so much." She chuckles.

Byakuya's cheeks turned pink. "Hisana and I never... got to experience the joy... We wanted... so badly." His eyes teared up a little. And Unohana wanted to hug him.

"I understand. This can't be easy. But you know, Hisana wasn't as strong as Ichigo. He'll understand, he won't like it but after awhile he'll understand. That it was about your freedom." Unohana sighed. "At least something will go right out of all this."

"Yes, I'm sorry to trouble you. Unohana-san, are you alright?" Byakuya blinked as tears just slowly ran down her cheeks.

"I... I'm fine... its just... Izuru.... you and I both saw what Gin did to him. And now he's reliving that every single day and I just can't stand to see the pain its causing him. He's BARELY hanging on." Unohana sniffled, struggling to keep the full extent of her grief from completely unhinging her.

Byakuya sighed, and hugged Unohana. "You do an amazing job with everything you do. Every patient, every tragedy, you're there. You've been gifted with such empathy and caring, and yet you are always like a rock, completely unmovable, always giving to the void. You can't keep all that bottled up forever. If there's one thing I've learned from all this its that nobody can survive on their own. And nobody can keep all that pain bottled up inside and not have it come out in frightening and unexpected ways. You need to find some place, and some way to vent all that upset. Flower gardens always help me." Byakuya suggested.

"Alright, I'll see if Yamamoto will let me take a few days off by the beach. Sighting years of psychological strain ignited by Izuru's condition. I'll leave Isane my pager. I have never taken a vacation in my entire career. So I suspect I'll get a few days off."

"I will vouch that you find this situation distressing." Agreed Byakuya, rising. "Now, troubles or not I still have paperwork to do. Renji can handle drills, but if I do not do something, I'll go crazy." He left.

Unohana had several more to take care of, sure enough, Shunsui Kyouraku came in on Byakuya's heels, pale as a ghost and his body shaking. "unohana, I apologize, but I need some help."

"Go ahead, Shunsui what is it?"

"Well um..." He blushed slightly.

Unohana pulled out a chair. "Sit down."

"After I found out there was a chance I could get pregnant I have been attempting to go cold turkey with alcohol. And it HASNT worked. I get all weak and shakey and then I just... booze..." He groans. "please, isn't there anything you can do?"

Unohana frowned. "I have some potions that will, with BEDREST readjust your body so that it doesn't feel the need for alcohol. But while under its influence, while detoxing, you should stay in the hospital for a couple of days. Detoxing from alcohol could cause seizures."

"I understand. I'll pack my bags." Shunsui hugged Unohana before darting off. "And see if Jyou-koi could help."

"having support, is a good thing. Your body has been more or less hooked on alcohol for 800 years and everyone thought it was so cute that you were drunk and horny all the time. Until you try to make a change and suddenly its not funny anymore." The words were chiding, but Unohana's smile was warm.

"Yes, quite. And thank you." Shunsui sighed. "and the sad thing is, when I change back I'll probably go back to drinking."

* * *

"You're going to go into detox?" Hitsugaya blinked, he and Ukitake heard what Shunsui needed help with.

"Yes, I want to have someone there. Siezures are... not something you mess with."

Hitsugaya nodded. "I know that, and I agree, detoxing is at once critical because alcohol can harm the baby." He blushed a little at that. "And dangerous because of the stress it causes on your body." Hitsugaya didn't add, and the baby. But that was why any kind of detox treatment was dangerous. The baby experienced the same pain.

"Well, the least we can do is help you." Hitsugaya sighed. "I can do my paperwork anywhere. Of course. When I'm done with it, perhaps Jyoushiro and I can entertain you... in a very... er..." He blushed. "naughty... way..." He stammered that last bit.

"Why Toushiro, is that a preposition?" Shunsui giggled. "you're getting bolder. I must be exerting a good influence on you."

Hitsugaya blushed hugely. "Well, I was going to suggest we do that tonight, but then you had to get yourself put into the fourth." He said, batting his eyelashes dramatically at Shunsui.

Shunsui laughed.

* * *

That night, Ichigo had the strangest dream. He was pulled into his inner world, and looked around expecting to see Zangetsu waiting for him.

Instead Ogichi ran over. "King, come quick!" He turned, running across the rooftops.

Ichigo followed. "what's wrong?"

"I dunno! Zangetsu just fell!" Ogichi lead Ichigo to a rooftop some distance away where Zangetsu was lying, curled up in a ball on the wall of the building. His body was glowing with a faint white shimmer.

"Zangetsu, are you alright? What happened to you?"

The old man raised his head slightly at Ichigo's approach. "I'll be fine Ichigo, I'm just really tired and I'm aching all over."

"But what's wrong????"

"Not sure, I'll be alright soon though."

"But..."

"I'll be fine. And you'll still be able to use me in a battle. I just won't be able to help you personally. Don't worry about me, I'll be back to normal in a few days you'll see."

"Okay..." Ichigo fell into a deeper sleep right then, leaving his inner world.

* * *

Byakuya was having a sadder, but more productive conversation with Senbonzakura, who he found sprawled on the ground in his inner world, looking up at the sky. The zanpakuto was pale, trembling slightly as the soft white glow engulfed him.

"Senbonzakura.... I'm sorry... I know it hurts."

"You're... really going to get rid of it... master?" Byakuya saw tears rolling down the zanpakuto's face.

"Yes. I'm sorry. I don't want to be with renji I want to be with Ichigo, and I know that I would be really unhappy having Renji's child just to please the clan elders. I know it hurts. To feel that joy and then have to lose it, but you'll feel it again. I promise." Byakuya pulled the zanpakuto spirit into his arms.

Senbonzakura tended to be overly sensitive, he loved children. He could be mischievious at times, but he was a kind hearted, quiet zanpakuto.

Senbonzakura was undergoing something that all zanpakuto of female shinigami underwent when that shinigami was pregnant. While the female underwent the first month of pregnancy, their zanpakuto went through a few days where they too underwent pregnancy and birth, giving rise to the child's zanpakuto spirit, which lived in the mother's inner world during their physical pregnancy. It was the zanpakuto spirit version of childhood.

Senbonzakura wanted to play mother, at least for a few months. Byakuya could feel it in the zanpakuto's sadness in his reiatsu. Senbonzakura would get to be a mother hen for all of two, maybe three weeks while Unohana confirmed the pregnancy and prepared for an abortion. But that joy would be cut short, because when the pregnancy ended, so would the spirit he'd be rearing.

Senbonzakura curled up in Byakuya's arms and cried. "But I want it now!" He sobbed. "I wanna..." sniff... hiccup... be daddy now..." Byakuya had never seen his spirit so bereft. "Please Byakuya?"

Byakuya shook his head. "No. I refuse. I'm sorry Senbonzakura. You will get another chance. I promise. But I don't want... I don't want this, not now... not Renji. I want Ichigo." He held the spirit close, trying to comfort him.

Byakuya's heartstrings were torn back and forth, and his zanpakuto's agony was difficult to bear. But Byakuya was also adamant. He would not have a baby with someone he wasn't in love with. And while he didn't blame Ichigo if /he/ decided to keep it, Byakuya knew what he wanted.

* * *

Hitsugaya had fallen asleep doing paperwork, and was pulled gently into his inner world by Hyourinmaru. **Toushiro?** Hyourinmaru rumbled, a mix of pleasure and pain, almost a flattered giggle calling Hitsugaya into his world.

Hitsugaya found the normally snowy world sunny, the snow coating the ground very thickly. Hyourinmaru was sprawled on the ground, head on his paws, wings resting flat on the ground, tail lashing. He was glowing with a slowly strengthening white light.

"hyourinmaru?" Hitsugaya could feel his spirit's excitement. "What is it? What's wrong with you?"

"Its nothing /wrong/ Toushiro, just natural I suppose." Hyourinmaru purred. "Remember, you and I are in a female body now yes? And there is a good chance of you being pregnant yes?"

"uhuh." Hitsugaya reached out to stroke Hyourinmaru's muzzle.

"This is one of the signs of pregnancy in female shinigami, their zanpakuto spawn the child's zanpakuto over the course of a few days. The baby zanpakuto spirit remains within the mother's world, learning from the mother's zanpakuto how to live as a zanpakuto spirit. When the child is born, the infant zanpakuto leaves the body with it."

"So... I'll have two zanpakuto?"

"Yes but you won't be able to use the other one, it belongs to the baby." Hyourinmaru chuckled, then hissed, twitching slightly. "Its almost finished... I wanted you here to see it."

"you mean..."

"Yes... you get to see the birth of a zanpakuto." hyourinmaru rumbled in a warm tone.

Hitsugaya blushed hugely. Then reached out to hug the dragon's muzzle. His expression was serene, but with a barely suppressed glow of warmth as he tuned in to Hyourinmaru's happiness. The zanpakuto always struck Hitsugaya as being sad, this was the happiest he'd seen him.

The white glow brightened, becoming stronger and stronger until it engulfed them both. Then when it faded everything in Hitsugaya's inner world sparkled with energy. Including Hyourinmaru. Then the dragon lifted one of his wings, and beneath was a creature Hitsugaya could only describe as adorable.

It was a serpent, a rather large one, with glistening emerald scales. It had a mane of red feathers on its head, which were wet with fluids but slowly drying and fluffing out into an attractive distinguishing feature. It spread sweeping wings, also wet with fluids, but rapidly drying, covered in shimmering iridescent feathers. The serpent yawned, flicking out a tiny forked tongue. **yaaaawwwwwnnnn...**

"Hello..." Hitsugaya said shyly.

The zanpakuto blinked, **Harro**. Hitsugaya realized that even in his inner world, the zanpakuto used telepathy.

"Its nice to meet you."

**Its nice to meet you too. **The baby zanpakuto flapped its wings, hopping slightly as it tried to fly. Its voice sounded either like a female or a very young male.

The serpent managed maybe a handspan off the ground, beating its wings frantically to try and fly before slowly settling to the ground. **Must flyyyyyyyyyy!** It whined,** FLY FLY!** it hopped over the snowy landscape trying to fly.

"It doesn't look very smart."

**Bet you weren't much to look at at birth mister.** The zanpakuto chimed as it hopped over the landscape.

"Where'd you get the attitude from?"

**I inherited it from human daddy!** The serpent seemed more interested in trying to fly. **Human daddy has attitude, I have attitude!**

_Toushiroooooooo..._

"Great, does that mean my baby is going to be a brat?"Hitsugaya asked.

_Toushiroooooo wake up!_

The serpent's tongue darted out, and remained out for a little too long for Hitsugaya's taste. **Maaaaaaybeeee. **it replied. **You never know do you? Thats the fun!**

_WAKE UP TOUSHIIIIRRROOOOOO!_

Hitsugaya had been about to say something biting, when he fell out of the spare medical bed Ukitake had placed him on when he fell asleep in his chair the night before. He landed in a heap on the floor and looked up to find Momo. "Momo... next time I'm dreaming in my inner world, shout a little quieter."

"Kurotsuchi Taichou thinks he may have discovered a counter measure. But it will take two weeks for it to be perfected. And he'll have to teach it to Unohana."

"Why?"

"She won't let him cast it himself, convinced he'd do anything to get some data out of the experience. And she probably thinks /anything./"

Hitsugaya nodded, "Makes sense." He sighs. "But I might be staying in this body awhile longer." he told Momo.

"I thought you didn't want to have kids!"

"But Ukitake has offered to adopt the child until I'm ready to care for it, and that if is looking like a certainty."

"What's that mean?"

"Hyourinmaru..." Hitsugaya blushed. "Hyourinmaru had a baby. A zanpakuto spirit that looked like a plumed serpent."

"oh that happens with female shinigami's zanpakuto when they get pregnant. Should happen to all those who did in a few days."

"hoooooo boy." Shunsui sighed. "I just noticed it, the dominant of my two zanpakuto is curled up in a ball, whining about wanting to try ice cream. How could I have missed that?"

* * *

"you going to tell him yet?" Kazeshini asked Wabisuke.

The zanpakuto was lying on his back in his owner's inner world. He was curled in a ball under six or seven blankets, lying on top of a straw mat and his head propped up on a pile of cooshy pillows.

"NO!"

"you gonna tell him yet?"

"NO!"

"you gonna tell him yet?"

"NO!" Wabisuke snapped. "for the hundredth time NO NO NONO!" He growled. "If I TELL him he'll go CRAZY! He's just CLINGING to sanity!" Wabisuke threw his iron ball at Kazeshini. "GO HOME!"

Kazeshini dodged it. "So then... can we have pregnant sex? They say in the second trimester the hormones get horny."

Wabisuke sat up, punched Kazeshini in the face, then pulled the blankets up over his body. "go away! I don't need the harassment hours from going into labor."

"Are you getting fat at all under there?" Kazeshini asked hopefully.

"FOR GOD SAKES KAZESHINI SHUT THE HELL UP AND GO AWAY! JUST BECAUSE OUR OWNERS ARE SLEEPING WITH EACH OTHER DOESN'T MEAN I'LL SLEEP WITH YOU!"

"But you did last week..."

"I swear to GOD Kazeshini I'm going to KILL YOU!" When wabisuke sat up ready to stab the other zanpakuto he was gone. "Finally, peace and quiet."

* * *

Ogichi lay down next to Zangetsu, "So... what exactly is wrong with you?"

"I'm not sure." The zanpakuto replied.

"Maybe you should ask one of the other zanpakuto."

"I'm in too much pain to move." Zangetsu replied.

"You could ask Senbonzakura, I mean you're both male zanpakuto stuck in a female's body. Maybe he can help, and its not as far as the others. King is asleep. He's probably right next to Byakuya. C'mon, I'll help you." Ogichi offered a hand courteously.

"Normally you'd be trying to eat me."

"I won't try to eat you while you're in pain, now come on." Ogichi hauled Zangetsu up, and the zanpakuto swallowed his pride and leaned on him as they opened the boarder to Senbonzakura's realm.

Senbonzakura was lying on a rush mat, crying. "Senbonzakura?" Zangetsu knelt by the zanpakuto's side. "Are you alright?"

The zanpakuto blinked, looking up. "I... I... you're his... aren't you?"

"Are you alright?" Ogichi asked, blinking in surprise at the masked zanpakuto.

"Its Byakuya!" Senbonakura wailed. The other two blinked, and just kind of... stared... as he blubbered out the entire story.

Zangetsu's eyes widened, as he realized what the white glow around him meant. "You mean I... we..." He stammered.

"Congratulations old man, but this is a zanpakuto matter, not one for me." Ogichi winked at Zangetsu and Senbonzakura and headed back into Ichigo's world.

Zangetsu pulled Senbonzakura into his arms and stroked the masked zanpakuto's hair. "How long will it be?"

"A few hours still, how long ago did you..."

"Last night."

"Sometime tomorrow then." Senbonzakura replied, rubbing at the eyeholes of his mask in an attempt to clear the tears from his eyes.

"Do you want me to stay with you?"

"Please?" Senbonzakura begged.

Zangetsu sighed, then wrapped his arms around the masked zanpakuto and leaned back, allowing him to rest easy in his arms. Zangetsu gently pressed their foreheads together. "I know it hurts, just relax. Remember, as long as Byakuya is alive, you'll have another chance."

"I... I...." Zangetsu reached out, gently dipping his thumbs into the eyeholes of senbonzakura's mask and dabbing away his tears.

"you have to go with what Byakuya says, but you don't have to go through it alone. You can visit me any time you wish, and I will come any time you call. Okay?"

Senbonzakura gulped, nodding.

"Now just relax. I'm here to help you feel better." Zangetsu was feeling extremely awkward. This wasn't the sort of thing he was good at, that was Ichigo's job.

A soft snoring reached Zangetsu's ears. He looked down.

Senbonzakura had fallen asleep.

Zangetsu smiled, and simply lay there for awhile, he could tell that Ichigo was sleeping.

Then his owner jolted awake, running down the hall to the bathroom. Zangetsu frowned, what could be happening to Ichigo?


	7. Chapter 7

Notes: this chapter is short, but sometimes short is more effective, and I PROMISE you its sweet. Though Muramasa does act more like Light Yagami for a moment there.

* * *

Ichigo was awakened in the wee hours of the morning by a wave of intense nausea. "SHIT!" He hissed, getting up and running to the bathroom. He groaned, throwing up his rather large and romantic dinner, a dinner Byakuya had made specially for him.

When the nausea finally stopped, Ichigo washed his face, swished his mouth out with listerine, and then went back to bed, curling up next to Byakuya. A few minutes later he was sleeping soundly.

About five minutes after him, Byakuya got up, looking rather green, and pretty much headlong flash stepped into the bathroom and threw up. And it would have been amusing had Ichigo known that Byakuya did the exact same thing. Washed his face, washed his mouth out with listerine, and went back to bed, pulling Ichigo close and curling his body around him.

When Ichigo woke up the next morning he felt like he'd been hit by a truck. His head was pounding. And it wasn't just that morning, as he and Byakuya went about their business for the next two weeks until his appointment with Unohana.

And Byakuya was feeling similarly lousy, but he knew what was going on. Ichigo absolutely had no clue. But Unohana only said "good chance" not a certainty, and he didn't remember what it was like when Masaki had Karin and Yuzu, he was too young.

Then he woke up one night, after two weeks of consistent nausea, the clock on the wall said 2 am. Ichigo ran to the bathroom, and as he was throwing up, he felt two strong, comforting arms encircle his chest. "B... B... Byakuya I'm sorry I... I've been sick this whole time and I... I didn't want to bother you. Its just an upset stomach..."

Byakuya blinked, didn't he realize that what he was having could be morning sickness? "Ichigo... tell me, have you had your cycle yet?"

"My what? Wha the heck?" Ichigo was half asleep, his mind not really functioning.

"You mean you didn't even..." Byakuya just shook his head. "Ichigo, darling, you didn't stop to think that you could be pregnant?"

"WHAAAAAAAAAAT??? Oh shit, I forgot... oh my god... Byakuya I..." He threw his arms around Byakuya, burying his face in the other's chest. "I can't believe I didn't put two and two together." He sighed.

Byakuya wrapped his arms around Ichigo. "Scared?"

"Very. Damnit, why'd I have to sleep with someone who was a total dick to me in my normal form?"

"Do you plan to keep it?"

"Probably." Ichigo sighed. "My name means 'one who protects' I would... and want to... protect my child, or children, I definitely want to have more than one."

"Would you... want to have one with me?" byakuya asked, hesitantly. His heart began to pound, sweating slightly.

"Of course!" Ichigo wrapped his arms around his koi. "I love you Byakuya. But... I'm scared, I.." he sighed. "I want to be with you, but I'm not going to abort, I'm going to have it." And Byakuya knew that for Ichigo that was the end of the matter.

"I don't think I could do the same..." Byakuya said with a sad sigh. "Your heart is so naturally large and loving."

"So is yours." Ichigo said quietly. "Are you willing to love this..."

He was about to say "love this child even though its not related to you." But Byakuya cut him off. "Yes. Renji is Nakama, I would be... improper not to."

The two of them stared at each other in silence, Ichigo felt like he was drowning in Byakuya's eyes. For all the smoldering passion they regarded him with, they looked kind of... sad...

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing Ichigo..."

"Is it /her/?"

Byakuya realized that he had to lie, yes, not being able to have children with Hisana saddened him, but it was not the reason why he was depressed. "no its not... well its sort of her... but right now my interest is in you, and in healing the past. Now we need to get some sleep. I have an annoying duty tomorrow and I want to be alert when I perform it. And I would like you with me."

"Alright."

* * *

Senbonzakura had spent the last two weeks spending with and enjoying as much time with his son as he could. The child zanpakuto was a child, with an angelic face and long dark hair, with powerful black leathery wings, pointed ears, and pointed teeth. He suspected that whatever zanpakuto this child of his was a vampire type, though he did kind of resemble Byakuya as well. But despite the ominous physical appearance, his son, who hadn't discovered his own name yet, and probably never would, took, he was a sweet boy, helpful and curious. And while Senbonzakura tried very hard to do the right thing, and treasure the time they had together, he would give anything to save the child he would never get to know.

He heard rumors from the zanpakuto of those also hit with the kido about what they were doing with their own offspring.

Hitsugaya enjoyed interacting with the baby's zanpakuto, glad that he'd have the chance to observe something most men would never get to experience. And while its mischief concerned Hyourinmaru, the dragon was in every way a doting papa.

Wabisuke was in a similar boat to Senbonzakura, but was enjoying what time he would have with his baby. The zanpakuto was serene, realizing that it was his child, or Izuru's and by extension /his/ life. He would have another chance, it just wasn't safe now.

And Zangetsu was a constant comfort to Senbonzakura, often coming to visit him though he never brought his own offspring with him. And eventually, one night after Senbonzakura's son was asleep, the two zanpakuto responded to their owner's ardent love making in kind, the beautiful, masked zanpakuto and the dark, doleful old man, sharing in comfort, strength, and passion. It was the most uplifting, powerful, incredible emotion the masked zanpakuto had ever felt.

But Senbonzakura wanted... safety for the nameless vampire like zanpakuto that was his child. He wanted it desperately. And as Byakuya's appointment with Unohana was tomorrow, Senbonzakura was more than a little on edge.

* * *

"So what's down here?" Ichigo asked as he followed Byakuya underground.

"This is the crypt where Koga Kuchiki's belongings are kept." Byakuya replies. "Including fragments of his zanpakuto, which was broken in half upon his death. We have one half, the other lies with him. However, Koga was extremely dangerous, the clan elder fears what would happen if Koga's zanpakuto's power escaped the crypt. Muramasa has shown signs of life, even though his owner has gone to the grave. He is easily the most dangerous zanpakuto in the history of the soul society. Even more dangerous than the Commander General's. Koga had great power and charisma, and he suffered for it, and for not being able to maturely handle his gifts." Byakuya replied.

"So this Koga was a traitor."

"Yes, though its not a clear cut case. His elders framed him, but the evidence would have shown him innocent if he had /waited/ for it to be reviewed by the captain commander. Instead of patiently waiting for the incident to sort itself out he went on the rampage, killing hundreds of shinigami in the process, and my grandfather, who was sixth captain then, was charged with the duty of killing him. We were unable to retrieve all of his zanpakuto, but the fragment of Muramasa we /did/ retrieve has shown signs of life, and viability to this day. If your Zangetsu shows any signs of confusion, /leave/ immediately. You have my permission to run. I will not hold it against you."

"Thanks." Ichigo said sarcastically as they approached an altar. "Its that serious?"

"yes."

"What did this Muramasa do anyway?" Ichigo peered over Byakuya's shoulder. What he saw was half a Katana, bound by tiny, golden threads of energy to a stone altar.

"Muramasa was able to materialize his enemy's zanpakuto, then force it to fight against its owner. If he got to you, he would turn the power of your zangetsu against you in a heartbeat. That is a massive power to be unleashed in the seireitei, and it only takes one zanpakuto powerful enough, possessed, for him to get free and attack the others." byakuya replied. "These threads hold his power in place."

"They seem so... delicate."

"yes, they are actually quite powerful." Byakuya mused.

"So what do we do here?"

"I must inspect the alter for signs that the seal is breaking or cracking, make offerings to the spirit in hopes of placating him, and make sure nothing else of Koga's is showing signs of carrying Muramasa's energy."

* * *

Senbonzakura was not paying any mind to Byakuya, his son had gone off into his inner world and Senbonzakura was trying to find him.

Then he came out of the woods. "Daddy! Daddy! Look who I found!" Holding onto his hand was a peculiar looking man, wearing white and purple furs, dark black hair that stood out elegantly around his head, long nails, tear like makeup on his face. No, he wasn't a person, he was a zanpakuto, like Senbonzakura.

Senbonzakura protectively pulled his son away from the strange zanpakuto. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"I am Muramasa, a zanpakuto who seeks to overthrow the rule of the shinigami."

"oh really? And how do you propose to do that?"

"I can appear to them, in the real world. I can make you appear too, would you like to see?"

"Thats your power? To make zanpakuto appear?" Senbonzakura felt a surge of hope.

"yes." Muramasa said simply. "I am gathering zanpakuto willing to participate in a rebellion."

Loyalty was a major part of Senbonzakura's personality, but over the past several weeks, Byakuya's disregard for his feelings had strained that sense of loyalty, opening cracks that Muramasa could easily exploit. Zangetsu had not experienced the same weakness, because Zangetsu would be allowed to keep his child.

"you can materialize a zanpakuto?"

"Yes, do you want to join me or not?" Muramasa seemed to be getting impatient, his power should be taking over Senbonzakura, making him agree to help him. It should be /working/ by now! He had sensed weakness here and he wanted back to his Koga so desperately.

"Can you save my son?"

"Save?" This was a surprise. Muramasa was expecting outright submission. He had no idea of the circumstances of the zanpakuto who's world he had snuck into to tempt his way to freedom. Just that there was a way he could escape and use Senbonzakura to do it.

Senbonzakura began to cry, putting on the water works in hopes of getting Muramasa's sympathy. "My owner, Byakuya, was changed into a girl by a kido, the kido then compelled him to have sex with his lieutenant, and he got pregnant from it. The boy who lead you here is the result. But Byakuya wants to get an abortion, when he does, my son will die. He is due to see the doctor for it tomorrow. And even worse! He lied about it, and plans on lying about it to everyone /but/ his mate, and will /only/ tell his mate the truth when its all over and said mate can't talk him out of it. He claims its for his own happiness, he slept with one man but the man he really loves is changed into a girl, and pregnant with his lieutenant's baby as well but his /mate/ is willing to have the child! Its not FAIR! Zangetsu gets to be a father, but I cannot keep the babe who came from **/my own/ body**!" Senbonzakura finished with a wail as he clapped his hands down on Muramasa's shoulders. "please Muramasa, take my boy, give him the freedom and the life that I cannot!"

Muramasa gently pushed Senbonzakura away, dusting his coat slightly with his hand, cool as a cucumber. "I will take him on one condition."

"Anything!"

"When I come for you, you come, and join me, without hesitation, pleading, or negotiation. You will have time, months, years even, before I make my strike, but when I call for you, you will come, you will serve me faithfully, and forget and forsake all others. Your son deserves a life in the world beyond /with/ his father."

Ever the master manipulator, Muramasa cast his net, taking clever advantage of Senbonzakura's desperation. And Senbonzakura was sure to cover up the fact that he had more or less sold his soul to him from Byakuya. It was the perfect crime, and the perfect capture.

Senbonzakura bowed down on his hands and knees. "Its a deal."

"Daddy?" Senbonzakura's son clung to his father's side. "I dun wanna go, I wanna be here! With you!" Muramasa smiled inwardly at the boy's piteous pleading, the faintest malevolent glint in his eyes and a slight edge of malice to his reiatsu.

Senbonzakura started to cry. "I will see you again someday, I promise. But its not safe for you to be here with me any longer. Please, son of mine, /go with him/. And never forget how much I love you."

**Hook. **

"Promise? Promise you'll come back for me?"

**Line. **

"I will." Senbonzakura replied. "We will live together in the world beyond as father and son."

**And sinker.

* * *

**

"Hmmm... Zangetsu's not doing anything. He's just standing at the edge of one of the buildings staring at the distance." Ichigo frowned, watching as Byakuya carefully inspected every inch of the altar and every foot of wall, as well as every object contained within the tomb.

"Good, keep an eye on him, I'm almost finished." Byakuya made one last check of the area, not realizing that Muramasa was not using Ichigo, the less experienced and more obvious target of the two of them, but his own Senbonzakura as a method of escape. "There we go, everything seems to be in order."

And so on the hilt and blade of Byakuya's loyal Senbonzakura, Muramasa made his escape, using the schism of resentment between blade and owner as his bid for freedom.


	8. Chapter 8

Notes: right, my last chapter Muramasa appeared. He won't appear again. I just wanted an explanation for how it took him so long after Koga was sealed for him to launch his rebellion. And how did it get started? I also wanted Senbonzakura to get to be daddy. However, we all know the rules of Muramasa's power by now. Once the abortion happens, the child's zanpakuto will become a sword fiend. Poor senbonzakura, he gets to be daddy, but at a very tragic price. It also affects Byakuya, as you hear in this chapter.

* * *

The next morning, Byakuya pulled out a gift that Hisana had given him years ago but that he'd never used, a pocketwatch. Nothing fancy or valuable, it was sterling silver, with a rose quartz crystal in the shape of a cherry blossom on it. He placed it in his kimono and then went to work.

Every so often while he did paperwork he checked the pocket watch. And an hour or so before he made his move he began to drink a large amount of water, slowly. 7 o' clock, 9 o' clock, 9:15, 9:44, ten AM...

At ten thirty, Byakuya began his 'escape' attempt, which he had discussed with Unohana ahead of time to cover up his getting an abortion. He pulled out his cellphone, hesitated, dialed Ginrei's number and prepared to do something he hadn't done in half a century...

...Fake sick.

"uuuugggg, Ginrei-jiisama?" Byakuya hadn't called him that since he was a lad.

"Byakuya, are you alright? You sound ill."

"I'm getting stomach cramps, and a nasty headache."

"Cramps? Lower stomach or upper?"

"Lower, right in the abdomen. I'm heading to Unohana's early, I'll call you later. If it turns out to be an emergency I'll tell Unohana to contact you."

"alright, keep yourself healthy. Even if Renji is not of the blood, he is a bankai user, he's got good strong genes, do the bloodline proud as an inlaw."

**And Ichigo will do the bloodline even prouder...** Byakuya thought as he hung up. He got up from his seat, took a deep breath, and headed for the door to his office, now for the hard part. Byakuya dug into his pocket, and pulled out a pair of small, sharp pebbles. He slipped them into his tabi. This was a trick he had learned to make him look uncomfortable or pale, when his self control normally would not allow him to show discomfort.

The small stones dug in to the tender part of his feet, pinching his nerves in just the right way to send pinching sensations up his neck, and Byakuya walked back and forth for about ten minutes in his study. The discomfort from the stones made him turn pale and start to sweat, and upset a normally easy going gait. He would appear to be bowed now, as if he had cramps much higher up in his body, in his abdomen. (1)

He threw open his office door, hobbling down the hall and making sure he was seen by several weaker officers, who darted out of his way when they realized their captain wasn't well. One of them even asked if he was alright, to which he answered. "I am not well, and headed for the fourth, carry on with your duties." To which he got a "yes sir!" and said subordinate scurrying to turn their paperwork in at his office.

When he got out of the office he removed the stones from his sandals and put them back into his kimono pocket. Then he simply seemed to disappear, taking the rooftops via flash step to keep from being seen. He allowed himself to be sensed, but not seen.

Then he approached the fourth division, and put the the stones back in. He stomped his feet a little, and was rewarded by more pinching sensations going up his back and neck. When he entered the fourth division lobby and asked Ikemura where Unohana was, the head Nurse and 3rd seat's eyes bugged out in alarm. He turned and ran for Unohana, and Byakuya settled down in a nearby chair. Several people in the room glanced sidelong at him, but said nothing, and did not bother him.

Unohana came out. "Byakuya are you alright?"

Byakuya shook his head. "Stomach cramps, and a horrible headache. I'm sorry, I know I'm two hours early for my appointment."

"Oh its not a problem at all, but we should get you inside." Unohana began to lead Byakuya down a hall. "Could be a miscarriage."

Which is what they had agreed would go on his medical chart. Byakuya had then set up a rouse to make anyone watching believe that something had gone wrong, and his own grandfather, and his own division and the fourth division patients and staffers present would all think that was what was going on.

When they entered the exam room, Unohana closed and locked the door. She opened a drawer and pulled out some things while Byakuya sat down and pulled the rocks from his shoes.

"Stones Byakuya?" Unohana asked.

"I haven't faked sick since I was a boy, and I didn't have the training then that I did now. My current emotional status, and ability to surpress my emotions, would make that difficult. So I placed sharp stones beneath the arches of my feet, which pinch the nerves and send weak pains into my spine, neck and shoulders. After ten minutes or so, the pains would cause me to sweat and turn pale, which would make it seem as if I had a fever. Due to my current level of self control, it would take severe pain for me to appear to be only slightly ill, and everyone else knows it."

"I see." Unohana handed him a pregnancy test. "Just to confirm, then we'll do an utlra sound and make sure everything's alright for a chemically induced abortion. If not, we will do a slightly more... intrusive procedure."

Byakuya nodded, moving quickly. He had guessed that he'd have to take a pregnancy test. So he'd drunk a lot of water prior so that he could do the test.

While he waited for the test to develop, Unohana checked his feet to make sure the stones hadn't left any marks. Finding large, raw blisters on the arches of his feet, the fourth captain healed the blisters before they could become sores, so perfectly that there was no mark.

The test confirmed what his experiences with Senbonzakura and his morning sickness had already told Byakuya, he was, indeed, pregnant. Unohana soon had him in one of the white robes used by the fourth division for medical treatment. Unohana got out some kind of cool gel, "open your kimono over the abdomen, this will be a little cold."

Unohana didn't want to be in a hurry. This had to be done carefully, but she knew time was of the essence. She ran some checks on the baby's reiatsu as well, because physically the child looked fine. "This is odd."

"What?"

"At this point the baby should have a strong reiatsu, and the light it gives off, on that monitor there." She pointed to a guage. "Should be a pale blue or white, the light the child is giving off is red."

"Is that bad?"

"its a sign that there is something wrong with the child's powers as a shinigami. Its not getting enough reiatsu to develop its soul chain and soul sleep. Its an uncommon birth defect, and it can result in a child that is not a shinigami at best, and a very sickly child at worst. Your zanpakuto /did/ spawn correct?"

"yes, but Senbonzakura has been depressed, he wanted to be a daddy, he's been listless and depressed for the past day and a half."

Unohana nodded. "it doesn't matter anyway, but I think we can manage a chemically induced abortion rather than a mechanical one." She shut down the ultrasound, cleaned Byakuya's stomach off with a towel, and began to dig through the drawers. "you aren't troubled by the birth defect are you? You know that its very common with some Nobles. Their genes just aren't strong enough. It has nothing to do with your physical strength. Its that your genetics are enclosed enough that the baby turns out to have a defect. I'm going to check you for the genes for anemia and diabetes, as well as several reiatsu related genetic illnesses, that could be triggered by pregnancy. But that can wait for later." she returned to Byakuya's side. "This herbal mixture will induce an abortion. But it will make you sleepy as well. You will need to rest here for the rest of the day. /I/ will contact Ginrei, and tell him that you had a miscarriage caused by a birth defect in the child's reiatsu. It is, a partial truth. I will tell him that you got tired, so I gave you a sedative. When I have confirmed it worked, I will change you back."

Byakuya nodded, taking the herbal potion. He closed his eyes. **Forgive me, Senbonzakura...**

**Whatever you think is best. **The zanpakuto wept, retreating to some part of Byakuya's mind where he couldn't see.

Byakuya put the glass to his lips, gulping down every drop. He closed his eyes, even though he was not yet asleep.

Unohana monitored his condition, and soon Byakuya felt something inside of him /writhe./ His body jerked, and he felt blood flow between his legs. Unohana waited, and Byakuya felt himself starting to feel drowsy. It was a slow, creeping feeling, not about to happen immediately. Byakuya yawned, and Unohana pointed to the bathroom. "Shower, so that the blood is gone, and I will change you back when you emerge. I'll have a clean robe waiting for you as well."

Byakuya took a hot shower, fastidious and quick with his bathing. It didn't take him more than ten minutes to emerge.

Unohana had Byakuya lie down on the bed, which she had changed and cleaned while he showered, and she began to raise Reiatsu. She drew Minazuki, focusing the anti kido into the point of the blade. The anti kido formed a pale green, and enveloped Byakuya. Byakuya felt his body being pumped with Reiatsu. Parts of him were twisting, changing, rearranging with a gurgling noise and a painless twisting sensation that almost made him sick. Byakuya closed his eyes, and when he opened them the glow was gone and he was back to normal.

Byakuya was going to relax, take a nap, his knees felt very weak from first the abortion and the medicine's sedative effects. And the anti kido had temporarily affected his equalibrium.

But then Unohana collapsed, just as the sedative began to take Byakuya. "RETSU-DONO!" He cried in alarm. Byakuya got up to try and help Unohana, but his vision instantly swum, he felt like he was going to black out as the sedative kicked into high gear. He looked up and saw a red alarm button near the door. Byakuya unlocked the door, and hit the button just as he blacked out from the sedative.

The blaring of the emergency alarm was the last thing he heard before he blacked out.

1. I tend to be very hard on my feet, and when I do, a surge of pinching pain goes from the arches of my feet, skips my legs, up into my back, neck and arms. Byakuya is purposefully inducing this pinching pain to make himself turn pale and sweat. In other words, its giving him the complexion of a sick person when he's not sick.


	9. Chapter 9

Ichigo sat in the waiting room crying, clinging to Renji and Rukia who were comforting him. When he heard that Byakuya /and/ Unohana had been found unconscious in one of the exam rooms, and Byakuya back to his male self, he was confused, and worried sick. He could feel Zangetsu and Ogichi standing vigil in his inner world, Ogichi leaning against the zanpakuto spirit and trying to hide that he too was upset by snuggling his face into Zangetsu's side.

Isane entered the waiting room. "Ichigo, Byakuya's awake. He wants to talk to you. You, Renji and Rukia. He said nobody else."

Ichigo nodded, following her to the hospital room where they'd put Unohana and Byakuya. The fourth captain was still asleep. But byakuya was awake, lying back on the bed and staring at the ceiling. He waited until Isane had left, closing and locking the door behind her.

"Niisama! You're back!" Rukia exclaimed.

"Yes, I'm sorry I frightened you Rukia." Byakuya gave that small, almost smile of his when Rukia threw her arms around him.

"What did you want to say?"

Byakuya sighed, "What I'm about to tell you three /stays/ in this room. It does not get told to /anyone./ Not even the commander general, do you understand? If I want him to know, I will tell him. If /anyone/ is to know what I'm about to tell you, /I/ will tell them."

Ichigo nodded. So did Rukia. "Fair enough." Renji agreed.

"The chart, and every report, says I had a miscarriage due to a birth defect in the child's reiatsu and Unohana decided to change me back. But its a lie. There /was/ a problem with the baby, but it wasn't enough to cause a miscarriage. I..." He squeezed his eyes shut. "I apologize Renji... I did not want to have your child. And if I made that known to the Clan Elders, they would not have let me have an abortion. I wanted to be with Ichigo, not with you.

"The fact that you were so... rude... to Ichigo the day we were all changed is /offputting/ to me. He showed his heart and soul to you, made himself vulnerable for the first time in all the time we've known him. More so than any of the others he approached looking for a date that day, you were the closest /to/ him. The one he trusted most. And you not only shot him down, you took that heart he showed to you and stomped on it without a second thought. You could have let him down more gently.

Ichigo found himself pulled into Byakuya's arms. "Ichigo... I'm sorry. Please understand that it wasn't just a matter of my wanting or not wanting, my freedom was at stake. Rukia, I want you to be careful with Orihime. I love my grandfather, but once he's denied /one/ grandchild, he will chastise me, then turn his attention to the two of you. You are using condoms with her yes?"

Rukia nodded.

"Keep the place you keep them a secret. Ginrei will not /hesitate/ to remove them if he finds them. He's not against birth control in the right circumstances, or against condoms because he knows that for many they prevent disease. But he wants an heir, and if he can't get it from me he will get it from you."

Ichigo ahermed. "I could make a suggestion. Rukia when Orihime is a little older you /do/ want children right?"

"Yes."

"byakuya, the Kuchiki family is /how/ rich?"

"Extremely wealthy, the scarf I wear into battle is worth as much as my entire estate."

"Then you can afford the solution I thought of. In the world of the living, some married couples have the man's sperm frozen in case something happens to him, especially if the man is in a dangerous profession such as a soldier or a firefighter. You could have some of the sperm from Rukia's male form frozen. If its handled correctly they could stay there for decades and still be usable. Won't that placate your grandfather?"

"for the time being yes." Byakuya sighed. "Abarai?"

Renji's jaw dropped. And stayed that way. Utterly speechless as he attempted to comprehend the implications of everything Byakuya said. He hadn't realized that his rudeness that day could have hit Byakuya so hard, and that he had lost a /lot/ of respect in Byakuya's eyes. He was certain already that he had lost Ichigo. Byakuya didn't need to tell him that. "Y... y... you..." He didn't know whether to be angry or heartbroken. His face turned red, and then slowly began to turn purple. He wanted to scream at Byakuya, he may have been naturally reckless, but even he knew better than to throw a fit about this in /front/ of Byakuya for several reasons...

1. Byakuya normally did not speak his mind or make his true feelings known. Renji had always felt that this was something unhealthy to do, so the one time that Byakuya does tell him how he /truly/ feels about something there was no way Renji was going to discourage him from doing so. And if he /did/ say something now, Byakuya would interpret it as /just that/ and likely would never open up again.

2. He had stepped in it big time with Ichigo. He /knew/ that. He wasn't going to argue, though it was true. Seme or uke he preferred effeminate men. Hisagi had been the only exception in his entire time being sexually active. He could have let the Strawberry down in a gentler fashion.

3. He knew that everything Byakuya had said about his clan elders were true. He really wished Byakuya had told him. But he knew that if Ichigo knew, the substitute would try to talk Byakuya out of it.

4. If he told Ichigo what he was planning, Ichigo would try to talk him out of it. The substitute did not strike Renji as the sort that would have an abortion. He was so overprotective of his sisters and father that he struck Renji as being very pro life, perhaps even see what Byakuya did as abandoning his child.

And now everyone was /looking/ at him.

"There are... so many things I want to say. I'm angry. I'm hurt. I'm pissed off that you didn't ask me for help. But I know that all those things you said, including the bit about the clan elders is true." Renji sighed. He turned around, stormed out, and slammed the door behind him.

"Byakuya, I'll be back. Honest." Ichigo ran after Renji, catching up with him going over the roofs.

Ichigo threw his arms around Renji from behind. "Renji!"

Renji blinked, blushing slightly as Ichigo snuggled his face into Renji's shoulder. "But I thought you..."

"you didn't let him finish. I've been getting morning sick you know."

"you mean you're..."

"Looks like it. Byakuya may not want to have your baby, but you have another chance to be a daddy with me. I just... want to be with him thats all... but if you're willing to help me, then I will make you a proud father." Ichigo said this quietly. "Please don't be angry at him? I don't understand why he didn't tell us before but..."

"Better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission. Ichigo, Byakuya thought you would talk him out of it."

"Well I... I'm all in favor of whatever makes him happy. I just don't understand the circumstances, would his grandfather /really/ make him have a child he doesn't want?" Renji sat down on the roof, and Ichigo followed suit.

"Yes, he would." Renji sighed. "its different when you're noble class Ichigo... they have money, and power, but very little freedom when it comes to sex /or/ romance. Whatever happens with you and Byakuya, you /have/ to understand. Nobles suffer from a /lot/ of poor genetics, anemia being the most common ailment, but there have been a higher increase in genetic diseases. I hear tell that Ginrei's grandfather was color blind, denied a captaincy once the Commander General found out. They /allow/ their members to marry a commoner because our genetics are healthy, and it staves off genetic illnesses."

"Is that why Byakuya's grandfather would be harsh on Orihime and Rukia? And on Byakuya too?"

"Yes, both the clan's heirs fell in love with commoners, one with a human, a union like that will strengthen the Kuchiki's line. Bringing the both of you into the clan as inlaws will help make yours, and their, future descendants healthy. So their monitoring of you will be strict. However, once Byakuya and Rukia have each born the clan an heir in some way, Ginrei will likely pressure them less."

Ichigo nodded. "Renji, that gives me an idea. And something tells me Byakuya's grandfather will be waiting for me. I'll see you later okay? But don't worry, I plan on having it."

Byakuya was sitting up, and Rukia was helping Unohana when he returned. She was awake, and could speak, but she'd used up an enormous amount of reiatsu returning Byakuya to his normal body and as a result she couldn't move. Rukia was feeding her some kind of nutrient broth and some kind of herbal tea. "Ichigo, Ginrei is on his way, and I need you to take a pregnancy test. Its on the counter, over there." She nodded in the right direction. "Thank you Rukia, I'm sorry I needed to prevail on you. Isane will do this next time. I need to have something in me for when Ginrei gets here."

Rukia nodded. "Its fine Unohana taichou. You aren't a bother at all."

Ichigo took the pregnancy test, went into the bathroom with it, and came back a few moments later, then Ichigo climbed up on the bed next to Byakuya and leaned against him to wait for the test to develop. "i'm glad you're back to normal. I'm planning on making a deal with the devil, and I want you as /you/ when I do it." He reached out to kiss Byakuya on the lips. "Renji /told/ me about what its like for nobles when it comes to having children. He also said that having a commoner in the line keeps future generations healthy."

Byakuya nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you Ichigo, I knew you'd try to talk me out of it. And you are correct, several of the clan elders, since Hisana's death, discovered the link between enclosed bloodlines and some illnesses, instituting a practice of periodically marrying and adopting commoners into the line to increase the genetic health of the clan."

"Better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission." Ichigo repeated. "And I forgive you."

"What deal were you planning on making?"

"Well..." Ichigo sighed. "I have a life I have to live, and some of the expectations on me are that I finish high school and go to college. But once I'm in college, I would be glad to raise a family with you. I want you. I love you." He said softly. "As long as I can have the chance to live my life, I will give of myself to your clan after death. And I will try to bargain for Orihime's freedom to do what she likes with her life as well. I don't want hers and Rukia's relationship to be overshadowed by the pressure to have children when she might not be ready."

"I understand completely."

"I'm right here you know, and I don't need you standing up to defend me Ichigo." Rukia told him. "Our roles are reversed now, I should be the one protecting you."

"And how do you figure that?"

"The guys' job is to protect the girl, I'm the guy, you're the girl."

"Oh hell no. You're not protecting anybody. I protect myself." Ichigo huffed. Unohana giggled a little at that stubborn insistance.

Byakuya's eyes had strayed during this exchange, checking the pregnancy test. "Ichigo." He tried to get his mate's attention.

"Now thats not fair! You can come running to my rescue at the drop of a hat and bulldoze your way through half the command structure of the seireitei and I can't attempt to do the same???" Rukia demanded. "That reminds me, Niisama, since I'm a man now, can I have kensaiken? Please? Pretty please?"

Ichigo was about to snap something sarcastically back at her. "Ichigo!" Byakuya turned his mate's head gently and pointed to the pregnancy test.

"Uuuuuh, Unohana what's two blue bars mean?"

"on that one thats a positive. Congratulations Ichigo." Unohana chuckled.

There was a polite knock on the door. When it opened, a stern elderly man entered carrying a bouquet of flowers. "Retsu-chan, I heard you had collapsed. You should go more carefully on your health." The old man walked right past Byakuya, offering Unohana his respects first, and the flowers.

"Ginrei, you should come around more often." Unohana said with a smile.

Ginrei looked from Unohana to Byakuya. "Is it true you miscarried?"

"Yes. I apologize Ginrei-dono. Unohana discovered a birth defect that seems to have been the cause."

"Ginrei, even if the babe had survived, he or she wouldn't have been a shinigami. The normal auric activity that would have signaled the formation of a zanpakuto spirit was absent, and the child's aura had turned black. At the time I got to him he was minutes from losing the child, and the baby was not viable."

Ginrei nodded slowly. "Its not unexpected, Byakuya, don't take it too hard, one of your aunts experienced four miscarriages before she finally succeeded in having a baby. The Kuchiki clan genes are not as strong as they once were."

Byakuya nodded. "Ginrei, Ichigo /is/ pregnant. And his family has very healthy genes. He and I are interested in a relationship, however the child is Renji's. Ichigo wants to have it, despite the fact that having the baby would disrupt his schooling. I am willing to support him if that is what he wants. Will you take the babe as an Inlaw and allow Renji to assist in raising it?"

Ginrei hesitated, Rukia perked up. "Renji was my brother when we lived in the Rukongai, please Ginrei-dono?"

"Oh alright, but that second condition is only if your lieutenant is amenable to it. From what I recall he resented Byakuya taking Rukia away from him. He might not be happy if we take in his child as well."

"i'll talk to him." Ichigo assured Ginrei. "Something else I wanted to ask you, Rukia and Orihime's relationship, do you expect an heir from Rukia as well?"

"Ideally? I would like every member of our clan to leave at least one descendant. If even half of them are commoners or half breeds, it does dilute our honored lineage, but it also protects future generations of Kuchiki's from genetic disorders. Anemia has been the most common and severe. Though there are plenty of other signs our genepool is in trouble. Halfbreed shinigami are said to be incredibly powerful. The child of Orihime Inoue and Rukia Kuchiki would be an asset both to the soul society, the clan, and his or her adopted world."

Ichigo sighed. "i'm told that there are a lot of expectations on a noble. Is this true?"

"yes, on nobles, their kin, and on inlaws."

"Then let me explain some of the things that living world parents expect of their children, and then you will understand why I'm about to propose the idea I am. Both on my behalf, on Byakuya's, on Rukia's, and on Orihime's."

"Very well." Ginrei gestured for Ichigo to continue, Byakuya could tell his stern grandfather was amused by Ichigo's determination.

"The expectation is that we remain in school from age five to age eighteen, and then undergo 4 to 8 years of specialized education either at university or trade school afterwards that would train that child for whatever they want their career to be."

"Stricter than the shinigami academy then. You want to be able to finish your education?"

"I want to finish high school first, after that I'd take a year or two to try and have Byakuya's child and to assist in raising this one, then college. And I want Orihime to be given the same chance to finish her education before you expect her to settle down. And we /still/ have to talk to her about this."

"I'll take care of talking to Orihime." Rukia said stubbornly.

"And you expect Rukia to stay as a man this entire time? I'd better have her fitted for Kensaiken then." Ginrei chuckled.

"I have an answer for that too. In the world of the living its become a common practice for young couples, the man of whom has taken a dangerous job, to have some of his sperm cryogenically frozen. This would then be used to impregnate the mother if something bad happens and the man dies. It is expensive to keep it, but you're a noble clan, money is absolutely no object. You could get enough semen for such a procedure in only a few days."

"We'd need the twelfth for that." Unohana added. "Though I'd add the condition that Rukia's samples /only/ be handled by a woman until they are ready to be used."

"on that I do agree." Ginrei smiled slightly. "Given Kurotsuchi's reputation for perversions. Very well, I will speak with her on that regard."

"Er.... Ginrei-dono." Byakuya added. "When I was a boy you told me that all male Kuchiki's wear Kensaiken, yet Rukia still has not been fitted for one. If the antikido is as draining on Unohana as it seems it is, it could be some time until she's changed back into a woman."

"Rukia, if I do this for you, I will have to refer to you as being male until you are changed back. A long time ago I had a transsexual lieutenant, one of the most trusted and kind hearted officers I have /ever/ met. I understand the damage that gender confusion can do, it became so unbearable that he sacrificed himself in battle because at the time we had no way of allowing him to transition. He would get upset if I called him using the pronoun 'He' because He was spiritually a woman. It was forever before he understood I called him 'He' out of habit, not out of a desire to offend him. I have been referring to you by your birth gender even with your changed body. Are you ready for me to refer to you as the gender your body currently is, despite what you know you are?"

Rukia frowned. "I hope you will not take offense. But I'm kind of liking being a man. Even if Unohana were in the shape to change me back, I'd want to wait a little longer. And really Kira-fukutaichou is in worse shape psychologically. He should be the next person to be changed back."

"And that should happen in a few days." Unohana sighed. "I won't be back up to full for a week. If I do this so soon, I will collapse again and fall over. And when that happens I will stay unconscious for that time as well."

"Then you should wait!" Rukia exclaimed in concern.

"Izuru doesn't have that long, after the first trimester an abortion no longer becomes possible. And Izuru will be trapped in a mental hell!" Unohana insisted. "He's experiencing the beginnings of pregnancy triggered severe depression. It could lead to catatonia, psychosis or suicide. I will ask Isane and Nemu for assistance. I can draw energy from them to support myself during the procedure."

"Alright, put me at the end of the list to be changed back then." rukia said quietly. "I want more time to experience what life is like as a man, just a couple of months more, and I'll be willing to change back."

Unohana nodded. "Alright, if you start to experience any depression please let me know?"

"I have no objection to Rukia finding out how to live as a man, I'll have you in a Kensaiken by dinner. Welcome to the family Ichigo, have you told your father about your condition? I will have to speak to him about arranging your dowry if you are to join the Kuchiki family as an inlaw."

"Nope. As far as I know he doesn't even know about shinigami. He'll flip if he finds out I got turned into a girl, let alone got pregnant and promised to a noble clan."

"You mean you really do not know?" Ginrei asked, slightly dismayed. "He never told you..."

"told me what?"

"Captain Isshin Kurosaki gave up his post, his power, and endured exile from the Seireitei to be with a young human woman he fell in love with... I believe her name was Masaki?" Ginrei sighed. "He was quite a man Isshin. High born but he acted like such a scoundrel. You'd think he were from the lower rukon the way he would carry on."

Ichigo's eyes turned huge. "my... father... was a captain?" Ichigo was clearly in shock, turning to snuggle his face into Byakuya's chest, trying to find some way of absorbing the information.

"Helluva man Isshin." Ginrei nodded. "I would be proud to consider the son of Isshin Kurosaki an inlaw."

"But why!?? WHY?????" Ichigo demanded. "Why wouldn't he say anything?"

"Because until recently he had no powers. He couldn't even see spirits or hollows anymore." Ginrei replied. "We couldn't let him leave the soul society with the kind of power he possessed. He had to give up his power or our people would hound him, and you, forever."

Ichigo hiccuped, and when he turned back to Ginrei the Kuchiki elder was startled to see he was crying. "My mother... when I was nine my mother... she was eaten by Grand Fisher!" Ichigo sobbed. "She was eaten saving me! I didn't understand then, I was too little, and the incident was too traumatic! For years I thought maybe /I/ had killed her! But I couldn't remember how, or why!"

Byakuya wrapped his arms around Ichigo, comfortingly. "I suppose, he wanted you to grow in your own time. And I think... some part of your father didn't want to face the past. It was probably too painful. He gives up everything to be with your mother, including the powers he needs to save her later on. Ichigo how do you think that feels?"

Ichigo sniffled. "Horrible."

"Well, at least Isshin got justice for Masaki. He was allowed to have his powers back, and when he did, his first act was to kill Grand Fisher."

Ichigo's eyes widened. "No way! /I/ wanted to kill Grand Fisher! But I suppose... she was my mother, but she was my father's wife. I suppose he deserves it, after so long being helpless. Alright, Ginrei you can talk to my father about a dowry, whatever that is, but I need to talk to him first. I'll just have Hat and Clogs call my dad and tell him I found out. I want to tell him what happened face to face, Byakuya, I'd like you and renji to come with me."

"Of course." Byakuya said with a small smile. "I wouldn't let you face your father alone about something like this. Its too important."

"Thank you Byakuya." Ichigo snuggled into Byakuya's chest. Ginrei stayed only a few minutes more to make sure Unohana was alright before leaving, and by the time he did, Ichigo had passed out. Everything had just been too much of a shock that day.

* * *

Over the ensuing weeks, Tousen never figured out how two of the Espada he had tried to distance himself had managed to squirm their way into his heart.

Perhaps it started the morning after, when three of the more homophobic numeros took advantage of Ulquiorra's vulnerable state and attempted to push him around. Tousen was asleep in Grimmjow's arms when the transformed arrancar took a flying leap into his bed. Tousen shrieked in fear, hands desperately flailing out to touch (and identify) the face of whomever had just jumped on him. He figured it was Wonderweiss frightened by something or other, but his hand landed on a mask that covered half the head of its owner.

Then Grimmjow groaned. "Ulquiorra?" Tousen had never "seen" what Ulquiorra looked like either, and so had not recognized the smaller, slimmer Espada until Grimmjow spoke his name.

"I got triple teamed by a several pieces of trash trying to kick me in various places and cause severe damage. They called me a 'Faggot' though what a bundle of sticks has to do with my sexuality or current state I have no idea. Please Grimmjow, Tousen-sama, can I stay here with you?"

And so Ulquiorra began sleeping with them at night. And it wasn't much of a leap in their lust hazed minds to go from Grimmjow alternating who he was currently fucking (and he seemed to have an amazing amount of stamina, able to go as long as he and Ulquiorra were willing) to Ulquiorra and Tousen taking turns massaging each other's backs while Grimmjow had sex with the other. Wonderweiss had moved himself from his normal cramped bedroom to Tousen's living room, which put him soundly out of Tousen's way when he was having sex. As if some instinct told the halfwit to remain away and give the other three privacy, because he never interrupted them when they were being intimate.

Tousen had rather liked Ulquiorra's quiet nature, though disliked his tendancy to refer to others as Trash. And his transformation to female had revealed a gentler, still detached, but softer personality, one that Tousen felt comfortable with in this temporary arrangement.

And how that scoundrel Grimmjow had won his way into Tousen's heart, the ex captain would never know. He was a possessive, powerful, extremely sexy partner. Tousen couldn't get enough of his body or his stamina, and sometimes wondered if he was turning into a promiscuous schoolgirl around the cat like Espada. Grimmjow even purred, something he found extremely cute. Perhaps it was being stuck in a female, and thus more affectionate, body that was making him act this way. But he felt... comforted... around Grimmjow.

As the month and a half of waiting progressed and the kido induced lust faded, Tousen began to feel Grimmjow, Ulquiorra and Wonderweiss rapidly turning into his family. And he could almost forget that he was a prisoner. Grimmjow would bring him food, and when the beef ribs Tousen grilled smelled so good that all three arrancar had to try some, it was the first meal that all four of them had as an adopted family.

Human food was normally very bad for arrancars. It was empty calories, burned off in the blink of an eye, but it was the taste that Tousen's new mates seemed to enjoy. Though Ulquiorra had had to clean off Wonderweiss' mouth, and the barbeque sauce the halfwit smeared from ear to ear during the meal.

Instead of Zephly, Aizen sent Zephly's old Aid, Arisu Kitty to do general checkups both on their mental states and their physical condition. And to answer any questions they had about being a woman.

* flashback *

After the first of these appointments, the three 'adult' arrancar lay back on the couch, while Wonderweiss played with some blocks on the floor. "So what are we?" Grimmjow asked. "I mean, the three of us."

"Four. I consider Wonderweiss to be my son. And I suppose, for the moment at least, we are family." Tousen replied.

"Did I miss something? How did I go from having my arm cut off to being 'family'."

"You are naturally violent and tempestuous, I thought that this was all there was to you and had no reason to think otherwise. While I considered Ulquiorra to be more civilized, his tendancy to refer to those he didn't like as 'Trash' was disturbing and off putting. H... however... someone who treats me so... tenderly, when I'm in such a vulnerable state... I apologize for misjudging you. I still see you as being violent, but not as uncontrollable or unreasonable as I thought you were."

Ulquiorra watched as grimmjow blushed, then grinned stupidly. Victory. Sweet Victory. Tousen admitting he was wrong about something! Especially about Grimmjow's character...

"Mind you, I still think you're hopelessly violent, but you've shown yourself to be an attentive caregiver that I can trust to keep me secure." Tousen replied a small smile on his face.

Grimmjow chuckled, stroking Tousen's cheek. "Well, I didn't think I'd ever get you to admit you were wrong about anything, let alone about me. So my offer stands, if at any time you wish to attempt an escape, you have a willing assistant."

"GRIMMJOW!" Ulquiorra hissed, mortified that even after losing his arm and his tattoo as a warning that one time he'd consider rebellion.

"WHAT? You wanted to try and have a baby. Kaname didn't have a choice in the matter. Aizen just picked him for a test subject because he said he wanted kids in a stupid, off hand comment to Gin that was never meant to be taken literally! As much as we care for him and want to help him he doesn't have a choice. Do you really think his child is safe? Or ours for that matter? If it looks like either you or Kaname are going to be in danger, I'm taking you out of here." Grimmjow growled.

Tousen blushed, touched by the teal haired arrancar's fervor. "Thank you Grimmjow, I will remember to take you up on your offer." He said quietly.

*end flashback *

Now Tousen was sitting in Grimmjow's arms, shaking slightly in nervousness. Ulquiorra was sitting next to them, but Ulquiorra wasn't nearly as perturbed as Tousen was. Grimmjow was gently stroking his hair, kneading the knappy dreadlocks gently.

The thing scaring Tousen so much? The pregnancy test in his hand he couldn't even see.

Ulquiorra sighed. "Well, mine's positive. I guess I'd better start planning right Grimmjow?"

Tousen sighed. "I can't even see mine."

"Lemme see." Ulquiorra peered over Tousen's shoulder. "Its positive. Congratulations Kaname-sama."

"You don't have to call me -sama anymore Ulquiorra. I get the sinking feeling my rank has been stripped." Tousen sighed.

Then an instant later as what Ulquiorra said sank in, Tousen curled up in Grimmjow's lap, buried his face in the Sexta's chest, and started to cry.

Kitty had been keeping a close eye on them. And Tousen sensed her leaving the room and the apartment. Once he was sure she was gone, Tousen sighed. "Grimmjow, I would like to take you up on your offer. We should wait just a few weeks longer, and make plans to escape. I know remaining is risky, but I... right now emotionally I'm a wreck. I can feel it, I don't /feel/ like myself. I need a chance to take stock and let what's happening sink in."

Ulquiorra sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it, Grimmjow might have something about Aizen not being able to be trusted. He turned on you, he could turn on me too. If you are willing to commit trechery then I'll be with you to make sure you don't do so stupidly."

"What were you suggesting?"

"Get the stronger arrancar together to celebrate my being pregnant, drug their drinks so that they're unconscious when we do, and then escape. But once we move, you must have everything packed and ready to flee. We will barricade ourselves inside your quarters and open the garganta from the furthest part of the apartment from the door. We will bring the three of us, and we will bring Wonderweiss."

"I came to Hueco Mundo with nothing, I will leave it with nothing." Tousen said quietly.

"Might want to bring food, water and clothing with you, make a bug out bag or sompin so you're not totally unprepared." Grimmjow suggested.

"Bug out bag?" Tousen had never heard the phrase.

"Also known as the GooD bag, it stands for "Get out of Dodge." Grimmjow growled. "its the bag you pack for emergencies when you have to run for it."

"I see, its not a bad idea just in case something happens. But once we leave the garganta we'd be making a beeline for the Urahara Shoten, its not like we'd be in the wilderness."

"Then its agreed, we'll lay a trap, put the higher ups to sleep, and then flee." Ulquiorra looked from one to the other, then leaned in to kiss Tousen gently on the lips.

"What was that for?"

"Your expression, you looked so frightened I thought you might need it." Ulquiorra was glad Tousen couldn't see the blush creeping up his cheeks.


End file.
